Rhaegal's Rider
by f1gymnast
Summary: Jon meets Rhaegal under some testing circumstances. Set after series 7. This is now officially an AU fic. This will not follow season 8 in most aspects. Bear with me, I do intend to update this. This story is not dead, I have just had some major problems in life that have come first.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my first foray into GoT fanfiction as I can normally be found on the Musketeers section. This idea came to me and wouldn't go away so I decided to write it.  
**

 **This does contain some swearing but mild compared to the show. Mainly feedback on characterisation would be helpful if you feel the characters haven't come across well.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognisable characters.**

 **Set after series 7 but I'm not sure how far I will go.**

 **I hope you enjoy it. :)**

* * *

Chapter 1

The Wall came crashing down as Viserion's blue flames destroyed the barrier that had stood for thousands of years. Tormund and Beric watched as the ice shattered before them and they clung to the Wall that was still standing as the Army of the Dead moved through the newly forged passageway. Both watched in shock and awe at the sight before them.

'Bloody hell,' Tormund mumbled as the last of the Army of the Dead cleared the rubble of the Wall. The Night King either hadn't noticed them or wasn't bothered by them.

'The dragon was the key,' Beric said after a moment. 'We need to get down from here,' he shook Tormund's shoulder as both men then stood. They carefully negotiated the passage down the Wall in silence, still disbelieving at what had happened.

Once they reached the bottom they realised that the castle at Eastwatch was now rubble and sprayed all around them. They looked around in every direction and saw no bodies. A wave of relief followed by realisation washed over them. The dead were now walking into Westeros with the Night King.

They both turned as they heard a cough from behind a large block of ice from the broken Wall.

'Gendry,' Beric knelt by the younger man whose eyes were glazed over looking at something, or nothing, in the distance.

'Hey, lad,' Tormund tried touching Gendry's shoulder. The younger man reacted instantly and for a moment tried to push Tormund away, until he realised the red-headed wildling was the man who had gone beyond the Wall with him.

'The dragon?' Gendry whispered and Tormund nodded. 'How can the Wall be gone?' He looked to both Beric and Tormund but neither man could think of any comforting words.

'We need to tell Jon,' Tormund said as he pulled Gendry to his feet.

'The last raven said he was sailing to White Harbour with the Targaryen queen,' Beric said with a sigh.

'Then I will ride to White Harbour,' Tormund said confidently eyeing some panicked horses in the distance. It appeared that the horses had managed to pull themselves free before the Wall had collapsed. 'I think I remember seeing where it was on a map.'

'I will ride to Castle Black and inform the Night's Watch what has happened,' Beric nodded to Tormund as they started to walk towards the horses.

'Tell 'em to get to Winterfell,' Tormund responded with a nod. 'Jon would tell them to get to Winterfell. They're no use at Castle Black anymore. Lord Commander is called Edd...something.'

'Take him to White Harbour and let the King know what has happened,' Beric nodded towards Gendry who was only just managing to follow the conversation as he still couldn't believe what he had witnessed.

'I will tell him,' Tormund agreed. 'But I worry about the Dragon Queen's reaction.'

'She has to know,' Beric said as if he doubted Tormund would tell her.

'She considers those scaly beasts her children,' Tormund said with a shake of the head. He had been very grateful that Daenerys had brought her dragons to save them, but they were far scarier that Jon's direwolf. 'I thought Jon was weird with his pet direwolf!' Tormund chuckled but he felt very little joy. They were screwed that was for sure.

* * *

Daenerys stood glancing over the side of her ship, watching the waves dancing below her. She was now wrapped in a warm dress and a fur cloak. She had really noticed the change in the temperature as they sailed north and was constantly wrapping her arms around herself in an effort to keep warm. She glanced across the deck to where Jon was stood talking to Ser Davos. Jon was also wearing his fur cloak but, unlike her, he showed no outward sign that cold was affecting him.

'Your Grace,' Missandei's voice distracted her from her staring. The woman from Naarth was also suffering with the cold and was shivering as well. 'The captain says we will reach White Harbour soon.'

'Good,' Daenerys mumbled. She watched Drogon and Rhaegal swoop down across the sea kicking up water spray as they passed.

The main Unsullied and Dothraki forces were about half a day behind on the rest of her ships that hadn't been destroyed, so she was hoping to rest at White Harbour before they started their march towards Winterfell. She knew that Jon was hoping to find news at White Harbour, especially from his sister as the ravens obviously couldn't fly to a ship.

The ship sailed around a jagged piece of coastline and in the distance she could a settlement.

'White Harbour,' Jon's voice made her jump slightly as she glared at him but it had no heat. He failed to hide the small smile on his lips at having made her jump.

It was unspoken on the ship but everyone knew about the development in the Queen's relationship with the King in the North, or rather the Warden of the North as he would become when he publicly bent the knee.

Many discussions had taken place about how best to convey the news to the North and all had ended with no-one any the wiser. They all knew the Lords of the North would not be happy and Jon was particularly uneasy. He believed the alliance with Daenerys was for the best, but the last time he had done what he had thought was right he had been murdered.

Daenerys too was having doubts. When Jon Snow first denied her as his queen she had thought him a usurper who wanted power. Now she knew that wasn't true and that he was just fighting for his people. She still considered herself to be the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdom but the North was not going to be won over just because Jon had ceded it to her. She had finally seen the Night King. The true enemy Jon had warned her about while she had done her best to dismiss his concern. In rescuing him she had lost her 'son' Viserion in the process. She now realised that only united could they even have a chance of winning and now the North may be divided again because of her.

A thought had entered her head before they had left Dragonstone to journey north. She had dismissed it at the time but now she was beginning to think it was the only solution. The North was united under Jon's leadership and maybe that was how it needed to stay. At least for now.

They disembarked at White Harbour with very little ceremony. The Stark soldiers and the small numbers of Unsullied and Dothraki who had accompanied them on the ship scoured the area for danger but none was found.

Brienne of Tarth looked her usual unflappable self as she stood on the shore but the same couldn't be said for Pod who had looked green throughout the voyage and now couldn't stop swaying on the land.

Tyrion looked slightly sick too, but that was more due to the amount of wine he had consumed, or so everyone presumed. Daenerys raised the hood of her cloak to cover her hair. She didn't want any aggravation and she was aware of the distrust of Targaryens in the North thanks to her father's actions. She hoped Jon's presence would stop any kind of unwelcome approach but she would prefer to stay hidden if she could.

She realised her folly at once. The Unsullied and especially the Dothraki caused many of the people in White Harbour to stare at their procession. Though she couldn't see him she was sure Jon was sporting an 'I told you so' look. He hadn't understood her need to stay hidden when she had some very unusual and attention gaining travelling companions. In the end, she gave in and took her hood down. They had everyone's attention anyway and many people seemed to know their 'King' so she was safe close to Jon.

They reached the inn which was situated near the outskirts of the town and saw that the dragons had landed in the distance. Daenerys altered her course to go and see them but she stopped when two horses rode directly towards the group. She was sure she recognised the shapes of the riders.

'Tormund?' Jon called out as he was suddenly beside her. He stood feeling fear rising up inside of him. Why would Tormund be here at White Harbour? He was supposed to be protecting the Wall at Eastwatch.

Tormund and Gendry came fully into view and both of them were in a terrible state and the horses didn't look too good either. Jon moved forward to catch the reins of Tormund's horse as Davos did the same for Gendry's.

Tormund dismounted clumsily and clung to Jon as Jon hauled him to his feet.

'What's happened?' Jon asked staring into Tormund's eyes.

'It's gone. The bloody Wall has gone at Eastwatch!' Tormund stated as he stared into Jon's eyes. Fear was not something Jon associated with Tormund but now it was clear for everyone to see.

'How?' Tyrion asked as he stared at the wild man.

Tormund turned to Daenerys. 'The dragon. He brought it back. The dragon took down the Wall.'

Daenerys couldn't believe what she had just heard. Her child, Viserion, had died and was now a puppet to the Night King!

Jon watched Daenerys carefully. This knowledge was something that could make her do something rash. He knew Tyrion and Jorah were watching her too.

'So the Army of the Dead is coming,' Jon said as he turned back to Tormund. 'Where's Ser Beric?' he asked as he saw Gendry still clutching Davos. The young man really did look awful.

'The one-eyed cretin has gone to Castle Black,' Tormund answered as he regained his composure. 'I told 'im to tell 'em to get to Winterfell.'

'Aye,' Jon said as he rapidly tried to think. He knew the fight was coming but he had thought that they had more time. 'We need to get messages to Last Hearth and Karhold as well,' he turned to Davos who nodded. 'And Winterfell,' he added.

Jon had been looking forward to his reunion with Arya and Bran but now he would have terrible news when he arrived.

Daenerys snapped out of her trance as she heard Jon's tone change as he took over. He knew the North far better than she did and would know who to contact. She became aware that no-one was watching her now as Jon tried to decide what to do. She felt her anger rising as she thought about what the Night King had done to her child. Her child!

She ran as fast as she could towards Drogon who was lying on the ground while Rhaegal now circled above. The dragon saw her approach and instantly lowered his wing so she could climb on.

'Where's Daenerys?' Jon asked as he realised that she had not said anything at all while they discussed their options. It was then that they all saw her running towards her largest dragon, Drogon.

She could hear frantic calling in the distance. Jon? Jorah? Tyrion? In truth, she did not care. She was going to kill the Night King for what he had done to her child.

'What does the silly bitch think she's doing?' the Hound said with a sense of disbelief as he shook his head.

Jorah and Jon ran as fast as they could calling her name but she didn't respond. Drogon extended his wings and took to the air as everyone on the ground watched on hopelessly.

* * *

'Now what?' Jon asked to no-one in particular as they watched Daenerys leave on Drogon's back.

'Now we wait,' Jorah said looking disheartened.

'We ride after her,' Grey Worm stated aggressively.

'Horses can't catch a dragon you dumb idiot,' the Hound shook his head again, wondering at the idiots surrounding him.

'Then what do you suggest?' Grey Worm replied moving closer to the larger man showing that he wasn't intimidated by the larger man.

'We wait,' Tyrion answered. 'Like Ser Jorah said.'

Hopeless glances were exchanged as they all knew that if Daenerys met the Night King, she would lose and the Night King would have a second dragon in his possession.

A loud roar was heard above them and they all looked up to see Rhaegal still circling above them. Rhaegal hadn't followed his mother and brother.

'Anybody fancy a dragon ride?' Tormund huffed with a laugh at his ridiculous suggestion.

Jon looked up and for the second time he felt a connection with a dragon. He had felt it when Drogon had landed and charged towards him at Dragonstone. He knew what he had to do and only he could do it.

'Rhaegal!' he called out. 'Rhaegal!' he called again as he quickly moved further away from the others into the open space.

The dragon roared at the second call of his name and started to descend. Jon ignored the concerned calls from those behind him. They thought he was mad. Maybe he was.

'Jon!'

'What are you doing?!'

'Jon, get back!'

Rhaegal landed and charged towards Jon as Drogon had done on Dragonstone. Jon kept walking while removing his glove and refused to fear the mighty beast in front of him. Rhaegal roared again and stopped as he faced Jon, staring at the man beadily.

Jon reached out towards Rhaegal's nose with more confidence than he had with Drogon. He placed his hand between Rhaegal's nostrils and gently rubbed the dragon's nose. After a moment, Rhaegal closed his eyes and Jon felt the dragon relax at his touch. It was the same as before.

Jon looked Rhaegal in the eyes as he spoke and continued to rub the dragon's nose. 'Your mother and brother are in danger. I need you to help me bring them back.' For a moment Jon wondered at his own stupidity. Daenerys spoke to her dragons in Valyrian. They surely wouldn't understand the Common Tongue.

Rhaegal considered Jon for a moment and stood up to look down upon Jon from as high as possible. Jon stared resolutely back and then the dragon lay down and dropped his wing. The message was clear. 'Climb on.'

Jon didn't have time to think so he just reacted. He quickly replaced his glove and set about climbing onto the dragon's back. He noticed a large number of spines and it took him a few moments to determine where to sit.

Rhaegal emitted a low growl which sounded like impatience.

'Give me a break, I haven't done this before,' Jon said to the dragon with some exasperation and then he realised the dragon could eat him whenever it wanted to, so maybe that tone wasn't the best to use. Rhaegal, however, duly waited as Jon got settled, well as settled as he could be on a dragon. Jon couldn't remember what 'Fly' was in Valyrian so settled for the Common Tongue again. 'Fly?' he said cautiously and Rhaegal stretched his wings forcing Jon to grip onto to Rhaegal's back tightly and suddenly they were airborne.

* * *

'Jon?' Davos called as he watched Jon walk away. Jon was calling the dragon's name and the dragon soon stood before the King in the North.

'What are you doing?!' Brienne shouted wondering at Sansa's brother's stupidity.

'What is he doing?' Tyrion asked no-one in particular as Jon strode towards the dragon.

'Jon, get back!' Jorah called but Jon either couldn't hear him or was ignoring him.

'I meant it as a joke,' Tormund looked around at the other astonished faces hoping to relieve himself of some guilt should this go awry.

'He's going to be eaten,' Missandei gasped and clutched Grey Worm who was stood beside her as Jon stopped just in front of the dragon and reached towards the giant beast.

All the watchers held their breath as Jon touched the dragon and tension filled the air as silent prayers were said all around. Then the unexpected happened. The dragon did not eat or burn the man in front of him. It was clear to see the dragon relax at Jon's touch which was both a surprise and a relief.

'Well I never,' Varys whispered quietly.

'Is everyone else seeing this?' Tyrion asked with a disbelieving air.

'Well if you're seeing Ned Stark's bastard touching a dragon and said dragon not eating him...then yes,' the Hound answered with his usual mirth.

'I thought only the Queen could control her dragons?' Ser Davos asked with a look towards Tyrion who just shrugged in reply.

They watched as Rhaegal lowered his wing and Jon instantly climbed onto the dragon's back.

'Impossible,' Jorah huffed under his breath. 'Impossible.'

'Apparently not,' Tyrion said still disbelieving of the events unfolding in front of him.

Rhaegal took to the skies and disappeared into the clouds in front of disbelieving eyes.

'I suggest we write the ravens for Last Hearth and Karhold as well as Winterfell. Jon can sign them when he returns,' Ser Davos snapped out of his stupor first and was met with agreement from Ser Jorah.

'Fools,' Tyrion muttered. All eyes turned to him. 'We have just lost the two most important people in Westeros!'

'Hopefully Jon can bring her back,' Davos sounded more confident than he felt.

'Don't worry, the boy always comes back,' Tormund muttered as he headed towards the inn, pulling Gendry along with him, the young man finally seemed to be paying attention to his surroundings.

'What if they don't?' Grey Worm asked and the hesitancy in his voice was clear.

'We'll deal with that if it happens,' Jorah gave a nod to the Unsullied Commander.

'It may take them a while to return but I'm sure they will,' Brienne said firmly.

'If they don't...we're screwed,' the Hound added with a growl.

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 **A/N: I will update when I can but I do have a busy few weeks ahead but I will try and update when I can. Please let me know what you think. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello. Sorry about the delay in getting this chapter out. Friend's wedding, work and life just got in the way. Thank you for all of your positive responses to the first chapter. It means a lot me. Thank you to my guest reviewers for taking the time. I can't reply to you but I hope you continue to let me know what you think. I believe I managed to reply to all the signed in reviews so thank you to you all as well. Also, thank you to everyone who has favourited and followed so far. :)**

 **Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter just as much :)**

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Chapter 2

Daenerys could hardly see anything as the snow was falling thickly around her. She supposed Drogon knew where he was going and she was sure he would want revenge for his brother too. She wasn't sure how far they had flown of for how long when Drogon suddenly dived towards the ground. She held on tightly, wondering if he had felt the presence of his dead, now undead, brother. The fiery anger still burned within her, making her even more anxious to find the Night King and destroy him.

Drogon landed on the snow covered ground and Daenerys could see nothing around her due to the falling snow. The snow was nearing blizzard-like conditions now and was hitting her face from all angles, freezing her cheeks as the snow melted and refroze on her skin. Drogon was looking up to the sky and she tried to follow his eye-line but she couldn't see anything. Then she heard Rhaegal's call in the distance. Her other living 'son' had followed them. Together they could beat the Night King, she was sure of it. She couldn't see Rhaegal yet but Drogon called out again and the reply was clearly closer.

The dragons continued to exchange calls until she saw a large shadow through the snow. Rhaegal landed close to Drogon but it wasn't her dragon that made her gasp in shock. Jon Snow, the King in the North, was sitting on Rhaegal's back.

* * *

Jon had no idea where he was and no idea where Rhaegal was taking him. The snow was coming down fiercely making him squint to try and see ahead. He only hoped that Rhaegal would know how to find his brother through the swirling snow as he felt completely useless. He was also feeling very uncomfortable. Riding a dragon wasn't like riding a horse. He hoped they would find Drogon and Daenerys before the Night King did, otherwise they would be in serious trouble.

As Rhaegal continued to fly, Jon realised that flying on a dragon while wearing a fur cloak was not the best idea. The cloak was catching the wind and Jon was struggling to keep hold of Rhaegal's back as his hands felt numb and he was worried about falling. He couldn't see the ground at all but he knew that they were very high in the sky. His legs were also stiffening, not just from the cold, but also the angle he was gripping Rhaegal's back in his effort to stay on. Carefully, he tried to manoeuvre his left leg so he could tuck his cloak under his backside. He felt Rhaegal shift slightly and hoped that the dragon would understand that sudden movements would not be good at this point. He then repeated the action with his right leg and found that the cloak was no longer trying to send him to his death by catching every gust of wind that came their way.

'What made you think this was a good idea Jon?' he asked himself quietly as he continued to grip Rhaegal's back tightly with his legs and his hands.

Jon was shocked and nearly let go as Rhaegal roared loudly without warning. He could feel the vibrations as he sat on Rhaegal's back. For a moment, Jon thought that Rhaegal was answering his quiet question but shook that thought away quickly. Rhaegal roared again a few minutes later and Jon thought he heard a faint reply in the distance. Rhaegal continued to roar periodically and the replies, which he thought must be coming from Drogon, became louder and louder as the minutes passed.

Suddenly, without warning, Rhaegal dived towards the ground and Jon had to grip whatever he could to stay on. Fear was overwhelming Jon now but he also trusted Rhaegal to keep him safe. Quite a paradox. He plastered himself to Rhaegal's back as closely as possible, avoiding the spines, and waited for Rhaegal to land.

The landing was smoother than he had anticipated and the large form of Drogon was looming in front of him. He saw Daenerys staring back in shock and couldn't help but feel slightly smug at her reaction. He hadn't expected this either.

He quickly dismounted and moved towards where Drogon was standing. He noticed Daenerys now wore a look of annoyance at seeing him as the shock of seeing Jon Snow riding a dragon had worn off.

'What are you doing here?' she asked coldly as Jon touched his gloved hand to Drogon's neck. He wasn't sure why he had done that but it had seemed the natural thing to do. The dragon gave out a warm growl which told Jon that Drogon had no objection to his touch.

'I came to stop you doing something stupid,' he replied honestly. He could see the anger and ferocity in her eyes and knew he would only get through to her by relaying the harsh truth of the situation.

'The Night King has taken my child!' she practically screamed at him. How could he not understand? 'I will destroy him!'

'And that would be the something stupid,' Jon replied calmly. He knew she was emotionally pained and he knew losing his own temper wouldn't help matters.

'How dare you speak to me like that?!' Daenerys couldn't believe how calm he was acting. Didn't he just get the same information that she had? He had no right to criticise her actions. She was the Queen!

Jon swallowed his temper that was rising. The situation was dangerous and she was only making it worse. She was stubborn, he knew that already, but he had to talk her out of this somehow.

'Think about what you're doing,' he said calmly. 'You cannot defeat the Night King alone. He will kill you and Drogon.'

Daenerys couldn't believe what she was hearing and she was beyond understanding. 'I am the rightful Queen of the seven kingdoms of Westeros, the Mother of Dragons, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains and I did all that practically by myself!' she retorted angrily. Jon had stopped listening as she relayed her titles. He had to get through to her and was rapidly trying to think of a way to stop her flying off again. 'The Night King will not stop me! He has taken my child and I will get my revenge!' she declared powerfully. She was disappointed to see the wearisome look on Jon's face as he sighed and looked away. His anger with her stubbornness was rising to a point where he was sure he wouldn't be able to contain it much longer.

'You have to see reason,' he pleaded as he looked back to her. 'You would die and lose Drogon with you. The Night King has a vast army and he took down Viserion with one spear,' Daenerys felt grief flood her again as he mentioned Viserion's name and she remembered the screech her child had made as he fell. Jon had no right to mention her child. 'This is a battle for another day.' Jon could see that she wasn't relenting and was running out of ideas. He couldn't let her go.

'Drogon,' she said looking at Jon with a sense of disgust. He couldn't understand and no-one else would either. 'Fly,' she said and hunched down preparing for Drogon to take-off, but he didn't. It was only then that she noticed Jon's hand on Drogon's neck.

* * *

Sansa was sitting in her study, with Ghost by the fire, when Arya walked in without knocking. 'There are some men with crates at the gate,' Arya announced. 'Said they'd been sent by Jon.'

Together the Stark sisters made their way down to the gate, Ghost had ignored their attempts to get him to follow them. The direwolf had decided that he liked it by the fire and no human was going to make him move.

As they approached the gate, Sansa instantly recognised some of the men as the men Jon had taken down to Dragonstone.

'My lady,' the first man said as she approached. 'We have three crates of dragonglass.' He indicated the three carts that were hauling heavy crates.

'My brother said that he was sending the crates ahead,' Sansa answered confirming that she knew what they were carrying. She had set up many forges in anticipation of the arrival of the dragonglass and had asked for as many smiths as possible from the lords and ladies of the north.

The news that the Wall had fallen had yet to be announced at Winterfell but she was sure she would be receiving ravens from Last Hearth and Castle Black soon. She had sent ravens to confirm the fall of the Wall and had encouraged the northernmost families to retreat to Winterfell, bringing as many weapons and as much food as possible.

She had decided to withhold the information for as long as possible as she didn't want to start a panic anew without Jon home to help. She had sent a raven to White Harbour and hoped that Jon would receive it before he left for Winterfell and would know about the Wall when he arrived. Though she had believed Bran's vision to be true, it would have been difficult to explain how she had found out before those at Castle Black and Last Hearth. Together she, Arya, Bran and Sam had decided to keep the information secret until it was confirmed.

Sam had found a useful book in the pile he had taken from the Citadel with information about how to forge dragonglass. The temperatures to forge the dragonglass needed to be very high and he had written out instructions for the smiths.

Arya had taken to Sam right away and continually asked him about the Night's Watch and how he had become friends with Jon. Sansa had wondered how a man such as Sam had become friends with Jon but then she realised that Sam was exactly the kind of person Jon would befriend. Sam wasn't a warrior and Jon would protect him, while Sam did the reading that Jon had never really enjoyed.

Sansa had found that Gilly was rather innocent in her ways and very kind, while Gilly's wildling status didn't bother her at all anymore, where many moons ago it would have done. Gilly was always trying to be useful and Sansa had often found herself playing with little Sam if Gilly needed to finish something. Sansa thought it was rather appropriate that Sam and Gilly were currently staying in Jon's old room and Ghost had greeted both of them warmly when they had arrived. Sansa found she trusted the direwolf's instincts above her own on some occasions.

So far, rumours about Jon bending the knee hadn't surfaced and Sansa was keen to keep it that way. Though she disagreed with his choice Sansa had realised that she couldn't judge it until she met the Queen herself. Arya had pointed out that Jon couldn't have waited to find out his sister's opinion and that they had to trust him to make the right decision. Arya would always side with Jon.

Sansa didn't want Jon to return to find the North in chaos, even if it was his own doing. She did worry how the Northern nobility would receive the news but she also knew that the North needed to be prepared, no matter what.

Arya had taken up the task of training the young men and women in sword fighting and archery. Many were still boys and girls but Jon had insisted that everyone the age of ten and over was to be trained. Sansa watched her sister relishing the task at hand. Arya was patient when needed but also stern when the need arose.

Both Stark sisters had agreed that they needed Jon, their brother, to return as soon as possible.

* * *

Daenerys was shocked at Drogon's refusal to obey her. He had always been temperamental but now he wasn't following her command when she was riding him. Her eyes were drawn to Jon's gloved hand which was resting on Drogon's neck. The dragon let out a soft growl but didn't make any move to fly.

Jon was stood next to Drogon with his hand on the dragon's neck. He knew that he was in a very dangerous position if the dragon extended his wings to fly. Jon felt his heart rate increase as Daenerys commanded her largest dragon to fly. Jon was rapidly trying to assess the situation and whether he would have enough time to move away, but something told him to stay put. He was starting wonder about these impulses and instincts he had around Daenerys' dragons but he dismissed the thoughts quickly. Drogon didn't move and Jon felt himself release the breath he was holding.

Daenerys tried again. 'Drogon, fly,' but she knew what the outcome would be. Rhaegal was stood nearby watching the situation closely.

Jon decided that now was the best time to press the issue at hand. 'See, even your dragons know that this would be a bad idea,' he said and regretted it straight away.

'My dragons do as I ask!' she shouted, except right now, she thought. Her fury at the situation had been escalated by Drogon's refusal to fly and Jon Snow had no right to tell her what was right and wrong. He didn't know her dragons at all! How could he even begin to think that he knew what they were thinking?

She noticed that Drogon had dropped his wing and she quickly climbed down. She glared darkly at Jon before striding over to Rhaegal. If Drogon wouldn't take her, then Rhaegal would. To her horror, Rhaegal backed away from her and let out a roar as she approached. She knew Rhaegal would not allow her to climb on his back.

Her temper snapped completely as Rhaegal moved away. Her child had let Jon Snow on his back and was now refusing her. Were her dragons truly siding with Jon?

She turned to face Jon whose black hair was now covered in snow as well as his beard. He was squinting against the falling snow as she was. Her glare was fiery but his was as cold as ice.

'You wanna go?' he asked the coldness of his dark eyes was truly intimidating but she would not lose her resolve easily. 'Go. Die out there.'

'I will not die!' she retorted angrily.

'You will and then we will lose the most important person in Westeros,' his voice sounded calm but she could sense the fury behind it. She was reminded of their first meeting in the throne room at Dragonstone. Neither willing to give in to each other. 'What happens then?' the volume of his voice was rising. 'Who will the Unsullied and the Dothraki follow? They'll go home, as is their right. Westeros will be left to fend for itself. You know what is coming. Are you going to leave us so undermanned?' Jon knew that his tactic was hardly honourable but she had left him no choice. 'I will fight, no matter what, but our best chance is with you helping me. We can't fight Viserion without your dragons.'

'And that was all your fault!' she screamed at him as she stormed towards him. Jon stood his ground as she approached and was aware that Drogon was still behind him. 'Being a ridiculous hero!' She reached him and pushed him hard making him stumble through the thick snow. She felt the long contained grief spilling out of her, the anger at losing her child and the situation she now found herself in.

Jon felt himself come to rest against Drogon as she pushed him. She was stronger than he had thought and her attack had taken him slightly by surprise. The soft snow underneath his feet was thick and made him stumble. He was soon aware that he was resting with his back against Drogon's teeth and was completely unbalanced. If Drogon moved Jon knew he would fall to the ground in front of the dragon. He really hoped the dragon wasn't hungry.

'I lost Viserion because of you,' she was beating his chest now as he had nowhere else to go. The cold meant that the pain wasn't as bad as it could have been as his whole body felt numb. 'So stupid! So stupid!' the blows were reducing in strength as he saw Daenerys breakdown in front of him. She felt her emotions spill out of her and clutched the front of Jon's cloak. She could feel that he was at a strange angle but she didn't care as she sobbed into his cloak. Her mind wandered as the cloak smelt of him. It was very comforting to her and she knew he wouldn't think any less of her for emotion.

Jon stood stock still as Daenerys finally stopped hitting him. It took a moment for him to realise that she was crying into his cloak and gingerly he managed to wrap his arms around her. He took it as a good sign that she hadn't pushed him away immediately and held her closer to him. He was still pressing against Drogon at a strange angle and with Daenerys now pressing at him from the other side, he was trapped.

As if understanding Jon's discomfort, Drogon gently nudged Jon so he was upright again and on balance. The snow was whirling around them, Drogon moved around them and then lifted his wing over them in an effort to shield them from the weather. Rhaegal moved to the opposite side and repeated the movement stopping the snow falling over Jon and Daenerys. Both dragons tucked their heads under their wings and breathed slowly, warming the air around their riders.

It seemed like forever for Daenerys before she felt Jon's arms surround her. She had cried for her lost 'child' before, but everyone had looked to her for guidance while Jon had been recovering from his submersion in the icy lake. The meeting at the Dragon Pit had followed quickly after and then their departure to the North. Perhaps she hadn't grieved properly and the latest news had caused her so much pain to think of Viserion in the clutches of the Night King.

The tears continued to fall and she made no effort to stop them. She felt safe with Jon holding her in his arms. All her life she had been on the run and never truly safe. Drogo had been a different type of safe but she knew her safety only lasted with him. His death had thrown her out into a dangerous world again. What was a Khaleesi without her Khal? Jorah, Barristan and Daario had all tried to keep her safe but she had always known that there was only so much they could do and she was always their Queen. Even with her Unsullied and Dothraki she knew she always had to be their Queen and Khaleesi. She could never let herself give in to emotions in front of them. The dragons gave her safety, perhaps she had thought they always would, and that had been shattered with Viserion's death. Even her dragons couldn't keep her truly safe.

For so long she had been strong and bold. She had to be. She couldn't show any kind of weakness as it would be taken advantage of. She had to bear her burdens alone. Until Jon Snow, she hadn't met anyone else that she respected in the same position as her. The masters in Slaver's Bay were vile rulers and she had already heard about the actions of Queen Cersei. Daenerys could tell after her second conversation with Jon Snow that he was different and that he also felt the pressures of ruling. She felt safe letting her emotions flow now as she knew he would not judge her for it. As she calmed she could hear his steady heartbeat, even underneath his thick clothes. For the first time in a very long time, she could just be Daenerys and that was why Jon made her feel safe.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter took more description than I had thought so I have ended it slightly earlier than originally planned so I could get it posted. Any thoughts on it would be welcome. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello. Once again, thank you for all your comments. It is really helpful to know that you are liking this story.**

 **I may have gone slightly mad with the commas and apostrophe's so if it is difficult to read please let me know.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

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Chapter 3

At White Harbour those that had travelled with Jon and Daenerys made their way towards the inn in gloomy moods. All they could do was wait, prepare ravens and get rooms assigned in the hope that the dragon riders would return. A sense of shock and futility overwhelmed most of them at what they had just witnessed. Though never said out loud, all present recognised that without Daenerys and Jon their plans for the future were in smithereens.

Leading the way to the inn was Brienne, her upright posture and strong stride showing she knew what should happen next. Her confident stride did not betray the worry that was coursing through her. She didn't want to be the one to tell Sansa and Arya that their brother was lost and the reason why. The two young women had been through so much already.

Luckily she had her back turned so she couldn't see Tormund watching her every move with longing and lust while he guided Gendry towards their destination. Tormund's look did not go unnoticed by the Hound who managed to get into Tormund's eye line and shook his head menacingly. Tormund merely chuckled at the man's glare. Gendry looked between the two men looking puzzled but didn't say anything.

Ser Davos was walking beside Ser Jorah. Both men were quietly discussing what information needed to be relayed in the ravens and discussing exactly where the ravens should be sent. Ser Davos had learnt a great deal about the North since becoming Jon's Hand but Ser Jorah's knowledge, even though he had been in exile for many years, far exceeded his own. Ser Davos was grateful for the man's help. They both disappeared momentarily as they told the remaining Stark, Unsullied and Dothraki forces where to camp for the night.

Missandei and Grey Worm were talking quietly in rapid Valyrian. The translator was huddled closely to the Unsullied Commander who was cradling her in his arms as they walked. Both looked worried at their situation but neither knew how to solve it. Neither appeared to be fond of the cold weather either as they both had their fur cloaks wrapped tightly around them.

Kauko, the Dothraki bloodrider who had accompanied them walked alone but continued to watch for enemies, checking the area around them all as they walked. He seemed distracted by the unfamiliar place but he always had his weapons at hand. Either he couldn't understand the quiet conversations going on around him, or he didn't care.

Tyrion had fallen into step with Pod. The Queen's Hand was glad to see the young man again, grateful that Jamie had listened to him and sent Pod away from King's Landing with Brienne.

'What are we going to do if they don't come back, my Lord,' Pod voiced the question that had been on everyone's lips. Many shoulders tensed in front of them as the owners awaited Tyrion's reply to the question none of them had dared to ask

'We carry on,' Tyrion answered shortly. He didn't like to snap at the young man but the situation they were currently in was incredibly stressful and he was rapidly trying to work out what could be done if the worst happened.

'They've only been gone a short time,' Varys suddenly appeared next to Tyrion. The Master of Whispers had been trailing behind the large group for most of the walk to the inn. 'Let's not fret just yet.'

'What's the matter with you?' Tyrion asked seeing the expression on the bald man's face.

'We are currently without our Queen and the man who is the key to the North, that is a problem,' Varys answered in his usual manner.

'No...' Tyrion countered and looked at Pod who just shrugged. 'There's something else...'

'Yes, there is,' Varys admitted. 'But I shall be keeping it to myself for the time being.' Varys continued to walk in silence and Tyrion knew the conversation was over.

The inn was rather large for such a building in the North as such large inns were usually found in the southern parts of Westeros. White Harbour often served as a place to stay for travellers wanting to travel north, south and east and was usually a hub of activity. Today was no exception.

The odd looking ensemble caused the inn to go quiet as they entered but soon the noise level rose again as the occupants returned to their ale and stories. Strange travellers weren't that unusual here.

'Have yer come wit' King?' a woman of about forty asked as she eyed the group suspiciously. She was dressed in a fine dark green gown, suggesting that she held an important role at the inn. She was certainly eyeing Tormund with suspicion.

'Yes,' Brienne answered stepping forward. 'We have travelled here with the King in the North.'

'All of yer?' the woman eyed the group again with her eyes lingering on Gendry this time, who gulped and looked away.

Tyrion was about to speak up when Ser Davos pushed past him. 'I am Ser Davos Seaworth,' he announced. 'I am Hand to King Jon. We've all travelled here together and everyone here I would count as a friend to our King.'

'Saw t'Stark banners, so knew you must be wit' 'im,' she looked around. 'Where is our King?'

'He went for a walk,' Brienne answered confidently.

'Alone?' the woman eyed Brienne suspiciously.

'After a long journey on the ship the King wished to stretch his legs and reacquaint himself with the North, his home,' Brienne answered with a small smile. 'He's not one for ceremony and quite capable of defending himself.'

The woman seemed to accept the answer and changed the tone of the conversation. 'Good thing tha' t'Stark's are back at Win'erfell,' she mused. 'The Bolton's were never really suppor'ed but wiv their army and the backing of t'Lannisters no-one dared attack or refuse 'em. So glad t'White Wolf took 'em down.' Tyrion was doing his best to blend into the background at the mention, and clear disgust, the woman had for his family.

'White Wolf?' Missandei asked curiously as she spoke for the first time since their arrival.

'You're not from round 'ere,' the woman stated. 'Jon Snow is t'White Wolf. Long may he howl! Took guts to do wha' he did. Mind you, he is a son of Ned Stark, even if he ain't trueborn. Heard he had Sansa Stark wiv 'im too.'

'Yes, Lady Sansa was indeed with her brother when Winterfell was taken back,' Ser Davos gave a small smile.

'T'Starks 'ave 'ad so much shit, good that they're united again,' the woman gave a warm smile for the first time. Everyone in the group was in no doubt that the Starks were loved in this part of Westeros. She suddenly looked curious and stepped closer to Davos. 'Is it true wha' they say?'

'About what?' he countered leaning slightly closer.

'Tha' t'King has a giant, white direwolf?' she looked positively brimming with anticipation for the answer she hoped she would receive.

'Aye, it's true,' Davos answered with a smile. 'Large, completely white fur and beady red eyes. His name is Ghost. Not a creature you want to cross.' The woman smiled seemly satisfied with his answer.

'Guess you wan' rooms,' she said as she walked away and the group followed. 'Are some of you willing t'share?'

'Rooms for the night would be very helpful,' Ser Davos followed her. 'Some can share I'm sure, depending how many rooms you have.'

'Price range?' she looked to Ser Davos who glanced at Tyrion. Tyrion nodded.

'What are your prices?' Ser Davos asked. The woman quickly told them the prices of the rooms and how many were available.

'We'll take all of them,' Tyrion said as he placed the correct amount of coins on the desk, having counted the coins out while Varys moved to shield him from view. It would not do well to show how much money they had on them.

'I'll get t' rooms prepared,' the woman said and disappeared through a door behind her. They could hear her barking out orders for the rooms to be prepared quickly.

The group turned as they heard a scraping noise to their left. They turned to see the Hound moving some tables together with a grimace.

'Best if we all sit together,' he said as if it was obvious. As the group sat down it was also noticed that they could see from the window the camp of the remaining Stark men, and the small numbers of Unsullied and Dothraki who had accompanied them on the ship. The area was also where the dragons were likely to land when they returned, if they returned.

* * *

Jon stood still as he felt Daenerys start to calm. He wondered if she had truly grieved for Viserion with everything that had happened. He knew she was close to Missandei but he wondered if Daenerys had been able to open up to the woman from Naarth. He was well aware that many of their travelling companions didn't truly understand the powerful bond she had with her dragons. He knew how he would feel if had lost Ghost and how heart-breaking that would be for him. He assumed it was a similar situation for her, after all, she had raised them from the moment they had hatched. The dragons were shielding them from the worst of the weather and Jon was grateful for the respite but he knew that they needed to move soon.

Slowly, Daenerys moved her face away from Jon's chest. He continued to keep his arms around her and she didn't object. When she looked up he saw that her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was red but he didn't care. He just wished he could reassure her that everything would be ok, but he couldn't.

Daenerys wiped her eyes with the back of her gloved hand and was glad that Jon still held her. A part of her felt embarrassed but the look in his eyes held understanding. She laughed as she noticed the snow in his hair meaning that it was no longer completely black but speckled with white. It took him a moment to realise what she was laughing at until she reached up and touched his hair. He gave a soft chuckle too.

'I'm sorry,' he said quietly. 'Your right, it's my fault that you lost Viserion.' The dragons growled deeply and sharply at his words, making Jon shiver. 'See? They agree,' he gave a worried smile and watched the dragons nervously.

Daenerys pulled back from Jon so she could look at him more easily but she grasped his hands so that she was still in contact with him. He had misunderstood the dragons.

'No, they don't,' she replied.

'But it's true,' he said looking defeated. 'I should never have had the raven sent to you.'

'No, you should,' she could see he truly believed he was at fault. 'The Night King took Viserion-'

'But if I hadn't-' she silenced him by pressing a finger to his lips.

'The Night King took Viserion and has turned him into a monster,' she said defiantly. 'If you hadn't had the raven sent then we would have lost you,' he was about to interrupt again but she kept her finger at his lips. 'I was wrong to blame you. It wasn't your fault,' the dragons hummed together and Jon felt a warmth pass through him. 'See? Besides, if my dragons thought you were to blame...you would be dead,' she added offhandedly. She knew that Viserion's death wasn't truly Jon's fault but she wondered if she would always partly blame him. He was why she had gone north and risked her dragons to get him back. Right now though, he needed to stop feeling guilty but she was also sure that he would always feel partly responsible, no matter what she said.

Jon let out a relieved laugh but she could tell he wasn't truly convinced. She finally moved away but not far from him. She headed towards Rhaegal whose head was buried under the joined wings. Her dragon accepted her touch this time and she feel him relax at her touch. Her bond with Rhaegal, and Viserion, had never been as strong as her bond with Drogon. Only Tyrion had gotten close to the dragons apart from her but he had not approached them since. She stroked Rhaegal's nose absent-mindedly wondering why her dragons had taken to Jon. What was it about him that they saw in him but not others?

She turned to see Drogon with his head right next to Jon who was stroking the dragon's nose. Jon still looked slightly apprehensive which made Daenerys smirk but it was clear what her children thought of Jon.

'There's something else you were wrong about,' there was small smile at her lips but the queenly composure was returning to her features.

'Oh really?' Jon replied. 'What's that then?'

'I'm not the only important person in Westeros,' she looked him directly in the eye and he knew she was being sincere. 'You're just as important.'

'No...,' Jon had been struggling with the fact that essentially he was in a position of power that he had never dreamed of since he had been named King in the North. 'The battle can still be fought without me,' he finally concluded.

'I'm not so sure it can,' she said as she moved closer to him. She knew now what the best path was, and before she had met Jon Snow, she would never have considered it. Jon decided to stay put with his hand still touching Drogon as she approached. It was something she liked about him. He never wished to boast about his achievements and praise seemed to make him uncomfortable.

Drogon then moved his head away from Jon making the man feel as though he had lost his anchor and meant that he could no longer be distracted from Daenerys.

'We have to work together to fight this enemy. You were right all along,' she said as she stopped just in front of him making sure she had eye contact. Jon knit his eyebrows together in confusion. He knew this already. 'I have my armies and I will follow you in this battle. The North follows you and only you. You united them and I would only divide them once more.' Jon blinked at her in surprise. Was she saying what he thought she was? 'The North needs their King now more than ever.' Daenerys knew that he had understood her and she felt relief in finally making the decision. A decision that would at least keep the North united but not under her rule.

'Are you offering me the North?' Jon finally managed to ask even though he knew the answer.

'The North is yours, Jon,' she answered as she finally stepped close enough to take his hands. She was giving up the North for the right reason and she knew it. 'It's always been yours. While we were waiting for you at Eastwatch, Tormund told me how the lords and ladies of the North named you their King. The people chose you and who am I to tell them they were wrong?'

'I already pledged myself to you,' he answered and she knew how he hated lying. After all, his inability to lie had almost cost them the truce with Cersei.

'You did,' she smiled. 'But by that point I didn't really want it anymore. You were also recovering from hypothermia and I know you like to keep your word, but you know it makes sense.'

Jon felt a range of emotions wash over him. He believed Daenerys was a good Queen, even if sometimes her temper got the better of her. He was in love with her, which he knew made things tricky and perhaps clouded his judgement. He also knew that if he took back his kingship that it would indeed solve the problem of the Northern lords and ladies. Daenerys would not be considered a threat to them if she were an ally rather than their Queen because he had bent the knee.

'You know that if I accept this...you can't use it against me in the future?' he asked quietly. It had to be a clean slate.

'I know,' Daenerys answered. 'I can't say that you once bent the knee so you must again. I also know that taking the North by force will only guarantee the North hating me even more. I can hardly say that I'm rescuing them from their terrible ruler.'

'I already told Sansa,' he sighed. 'I signed my last raven 'Warden of the North'.'

'Would she have told the Northern lords and ladies?' Daenerys suddenly wondered if this plan might backfire.

'No, that's my shit to clean up,' Jon replied confidently making Daenerys smile. It made her smile to hear him swear.

'Then when we return to White Harbour you will sign the ravens King in the North,' she said confidently and Jon could see the sincerity in her eyes. The dragons growled in agreement startling Jon who had momentarily forgotten about them.

Daenerys felt a mixture of sadness and resolve about her decision. She had handed back one of 'her kingdoms' to Jon but it felt like the right thing to do. There was no guarantee that Jon would return the North to her if they somehow managed to beat the Army of the Dead and then Cersei. In fact, she may have given away the North completely and surprisingly she wasn't too bothered about it. Was it because she believed that Jon would be a good ruler? He already was. Was it because she loved him? She had never thought she would feel love again but this was different to Drogo. Daario, she realised, had mainly served to satisfy her lust and her need to no longer be alone.

'Dany?' Jon's voice broke through her thoughts. 'Sorry, you don't like that do you?' he quickly apologised.

'I like it from you,' she replied before she had time to think. She moved into his arms to hold him close. Losing him really didn't really bear thinking about. 'You can call me Dany.'

'We need to go,' Jon broke the hug and she felt slightly disappointed but she knew he was right.

'Where are we?' she asked.

'With the snow, I haven't got a clue,' he answered honestly with a hint of exasperation. 'I don't know how far north we are,' he added with concern lacing his voice.

The dragons moved and suddenly Jon and Daenerys were exposed to the elements again. Snow was pelting their faces and the wind was swirling and howling. The dragons growled fiercely and Jon knew what they must have sensed.

'We need to go!' Jon said more urgently but then the wights appeared, staring at them with their icy blue eyes. Jon quickly analysed the group and saw that the wights that it contained could only number just over twenty but a White Walker was present. They didn't have enough time to climb on the dragons before the group would be upon them.

Daenerys stood frozen as she realised what her actions had done. She had led her dragons and Jon into a very dangerous situation. She noticed Jon unfastening his cloak and realised that he was preparing to fight.

They stood stunned as the White Walker moved through the wights and they noticed the spear he was holding. He could take down one of the dragons!

Jon saw the White Walker approaching and knew he had to stay and fight it. The spear the White Walker held sent a chill down Jon's spine.

'Fly!' he shouted to the dragons who both immediately extended their wings and disappeared into the falling snow. 'Dany, run!' he shouted and it didn't occur to her to disobey him.

The White Walker was looking up to the sky to find the dragons with the spear ready to throw. Jon knew he had to distract it but the wights were suddenly charging towards him.

'Dracarys!' he heard Daenerys command from somewhere behind him and flames scorched most of the wights into the snow.

Jon charged at the White Walker causing it to turn its attention to him. The White Walker swung the spear but Jon had Longclaw at the ready and parried the blow. The White Walker didn't appear surprised at Jon's ability to stop the blow, unlike the White Walker at Hardhome. Jon momentarily lost his focus as he heard Daenerys shout his name 'Jon!'. He saw the wights that hadn't been burned by the dragons were advancing on her quickly and the White Walker kicked Jon hard in the right shin making him stumble.

Jon managed to raise his sword again and block the next blow while trying not to panic about Daenerys. He swiftly moved underneath his arm and landed his own kick to the White Walker who fell. Jon the raised Longclaw and sliced right through it and it shattered before him.

Jon looked up in time to see the wights, who had nearly trapped Daenerys, fall to the ground, no longer the living dead.

'We need to go!' Jon shouted as he ran towards her as fast as he could.

'Drogon! Rhaegal!' she called as she looked to the skies. She was quite a way from Jon but he was running as fast as he could towards her. He stopped momentarily to pick up his cloak as Drogon landed beside Daenerys. She quickly scrambled onto Drogon's back and then looked for Jon. He was fiddling with his cloak but would soon be next to her.

Jon ran towards Daenerys who was clambering on to Drogon's back in the distance. Rhaegal was nowhere in sight and Jon hoped that the dragon was safe. He stopped momentarily to pick up his discarded cloak. Sansa had made it for him and he was rather attached to it. He started to fasten it as he slowed to a walk.

Suddenly Daenerys view of Jon was blocked as Rhaegal landed in front of Jon and she understood. Rhaegal would take Jon back. Rhaegal landed with a thud in front of Jon blocking his view to Daenerys. He had initially thought that the dragon had only taken him to Daenerys to keep her safe and wouldn't let him climb on his back again, but the dragon had lowered his wing to allow Jon to climb on as he had done before.

'Fly,' she called in Valyrian to Drogon who spread his wings and took to the skies.

Jon hauled himself onto Rhaegal's back and saw Drogon soaring into the sky with Daenerys. 'Fly,' he commanded and Rhaegal spread his wings and took to the skies.

* * *

 **A/N: The reason I have decided to go this way regarding the North is that there wouldn't be much unity if Dany is their Queen. I'm sure there would be much resentment for Jon bending the knee after he was championed as their King. I don't know how they will tackle this in the show but I do hope it is addressed in some way and not just glossed over.**

 **Also, I felt (I don't know if any of you feel the same) that Jon bent the knee partly because he felt guilty about Viserion. She came to rescue them and lost Viserion in the process. I also think that he believes Dany is a good person and after his conversation with Tormund he decided that it was best to be seen allying with her. I liked the parallel here as Jon went to rescue Dany this time.  
**

 **I also felt that Dany was surprised by his pledge as well and I don't think she necessarily wanted it anymore as she had already committed herself in helping him.**

 **I'd love to know what you think. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello. I apologise for the long wait but I've had flu, I really think it was flu, and my brain wasn't functioning. This chapter was a struggle due to that and may contain errors. It ended up being a bit of a filler chapter and a bit longer than I thought the scene would be. Jon and Dany do not appear but they will certainly be back in the next chapter.**

 **I would just warn you that there is swearing and a hint of innuendo.**

 **Also, a quick thank you to everyone that has favourited and followed. It is very much appreciated. :)**

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Chapter 4

Ser Beric had been travelling for days when his horse finally collapsed on him. The swirling snow and the freezing temperatures were chilling him to the bone. Though he hated to do it, he had been forced to butcher the animal for food and was eating snow to stop dehydration. He was constantly trying to lookout for the Army of the Dead and was doing his best not to freeze. Sticks for fires were hard to come by and he often needed to dig through the snow to find them. Luckily, his flaming sword had come in handy to start the fires meaning he had some semblance of warmth, along with the blankets he had found in the horse's saddlebags which he had found near the destroyed stables. He also knew he couldn't survive out in the cold much longer and hoped that Castle Black would soon be in sight.

He continued to trudge through the snow but he often had a sense that he was being watched. He couldn't see any signs of life around him but he was still uneasy. Finally, the castle stood before him and relief washed over the battered soldier. He was feet away from the gate when his legs finally gave in and darkness enveloped him.

The horn was sounded once and Lord Commander Edd wondered who could be arriving at Castle Black in the foul weather that was choking the Wall. He half hoped that it would be Jon coming back but he knew that was an unlikely occurrence. Jon had sent him a raven from Winterfell telling him of the victory there and as a side note, that Jon was now King in the North! Edd hadn't laughed so hard for a very long time. Jon Snow a king!

There was a knock at the door. 'Enter,' Edd called curtly.

'Lord Commander,' Edd really hated that title, 'there is a man at the gate but he's passed out. He's wearing furs like the Wildlings.'

Edd moved quickly to the gate and ordered for the man to be brought in and to start warming the man up by the fire with as many furs as possible. Edd studied the man closely, he had a beard and was indeed wearing furs similar to the Wildlings but his weapons however, were castle forged or damn near. This man was no Wildling but what was he doing out in this weather? Edd hoped that the man would wake up soon but Edd was also sure that the man's news would not be good.

* * *

The inn was starting to become busy as the sun started to set in the sky, with travellers wanting rooms for the night. They were being turned away to find other beds for the night as the entourages of the King and Queen had secured the remaining rooms earlier in the day. Very few of the group were talkative as they waited for Jon and Daenerys to return. Tyrion had barely touched his goblet of wine which silently worried everyone who knew him. The worry etched across his face was there for everyone to see. Tormund and the Hound were drinking the most, although Tormund was looking out of the window at every opportunity. Gendry had made a friend in Pod and the two young men were quietly asking each other curious questions about how they had come be there. Gendry had sufficiently recovered from the gruelling journey and the shock of what had happened, while Pod looked as though he had finally come to terms with being on land again. Kauko had decided to stay outside as the inn wasn't to his taste, or so Missandei had translated.

'Well, I suppose it wasn't the boy's first dragon ride!' Tormund chuckled loudly, breaking the gloom and glancing around him. He received confused stares back, apart from Ser Davos, Ser Jorah and the Hound who all glanced down with smirks. 'What?' Tormund questioned. 'Don't you lot call the Targ...' he looked to Davos.

'Targaryens,' Ser Davos clarified.

'Yeah, Targaryens...' Tormund continued. 'Don't you call 'em dragons like the Starks are wolves?'

'Yes,' Tyrion answered warily.

'Well then...' Tormund looked around still wondering why they hadn't got the point.

'What makes you think there has been a development in their...relationship?' Brienne was trying to word her question in a way that would be seen as more delicate but she was also aware that Tormund was a man who used never fancy words when blunt ones worked just as well.

Tormund chuckled loudly at the question making Brienne sigh. He wasn't going to take her cue on this. Missandei already looked uncomfortable with Tormund's presence and Grey Worm was hovering protectively but Ser Davos was clearly struggling to hide his own laughter.

'That's a nice way of puttin' it!' Tormund laughed again. 'Well...from what I saw, that 'development' must have happened after she came north. She was worried sick about him, so was I, but that was not worry for a friend or ally in her eyes. It hadn't happened by then because I know 'im too well, so must have happened after he recovered. I saw his concern as soon as he realised she was missing, and then he hops on a dragon and follows her. Obvious.'

'Worked that out all on your own did you?' the Hound's mirth made everyone's eyes turn to him.

'You like me really,' Tormund replied with a grin. Gendry almost choked on the ale he had just decided to drink causing him to splutter and Tormund to whack the younger man on the back.

The Hound's reply was barely audible but it sounded rather like, 'Cunt.'

'It's getting dark,' Ser Jorah muttered as he stared blankly into his ale. Missandei looked worriedly towards the knight who could only shrug in response.

'They'll be back,' Tormund replied with an air of confidence that wasn't shared by anyone else in their group.

'We don't know that!' Tyrion snapped and slammed his fist on the table making everybody jolt.

'I do,' Tormund answered with a grin.

'What makes you so confident?' Varys asked with his usual tone but without any mockery. The man looked as drawn and worried as the rest of them.

'The boy always comes back,' Tormund answered as though this was a known fact that they should all know. 'He'll bring her back too.'

'You can't know that,' Missandei spoke her voice tinged with worry and yet a hint of hope that Tormund may be right.

'All kings and queens have their reigns...some last longer than others,' Brienne said sadly as she drank some ale that she had become rather fond of in the North.

'They're not gone yet,' Davos gruff voice entered the conversation.

'Perhaps not...but we have all served many monarchs or masters and they have all fallen by the wayside,' Varys said sadly. 'Let us hope that this is not another end.'

'If it is, then Westeros cannot be saved,' Tyrion finally took a large gulp of his wine before banging the goblet back on the bench. 'You served the King beyond the Wall, did you not?' he asked Tormund who stared back at the dwarf.

'Aye, I did. I thought Mance Rayder would free us and help us to survive after we got past the Wall,' Tormund answered gruffly as he eyed Tyrion suspiciously.

'Somewhat of a disappointment then...' Tyrion gave a humourless laugh. 'So why did you join Jon Snow? He let the Wildlings past the Wall but why did he do that?'

Tormund glanced at Ser Davos and then Brienne. 'Do they know?' he asked quietly and a serious demeanour hadn't taken over the large man's face. Both Davos and Brienne shook their heads.

'It may help us to know what you now about the Army of the Dead,' Varys prompted.

Tormund wasn't sure how much of it was his to tell. Jon hadn't told Daenerys' people what had happened to him but the Dragon Queen couldn't have failed to notice the scars. He looked again to Ser Davos who nodded.

'I suppose it starts when I first met Jon Snow,' Tormund decided he needed to give a brief overview of what had happened. 'Captured crow who quite honestly we should have killed straight away.'

'Crow?' Grey Worm spoke up as he looked confused.

'What we call the Night's Watch because they wear all black. Black like crows,' Tormund explained and Grey Worm nodded that he had understood. 'Mance should've killed him there and then. Instead we decided to humour him. I wanted to believe that he had truly joined us. I did. Orrell knew but we ignored him. They spent so long in that cave I thought they were never coming out!' Tormund chuckled.

'Who was in the cave?' Gendry asked looking confused. Tormund looked around and saw that he had everyone's attention, including the Hound.

'Ah, her name was Ygritte,' Tormund gave a sad, reflectful smile. 'Red hair, wild as you like. She loved him...He loved her. I started to think that maybe he was going to be one of us after all. Climbed that damn Wall with us.'

'Climbed it!' Gendry interrupted incredulously making Tormund chuckle loudly.

'Aye, only way to do it is in groups of four and tied together so that in case one falls you can still save them. The Wall cracked and they were left hanging with no Wall beneath them. Orrell had to cut them loose as we couldn't hold both of them. Jon somehow managed to get himself secure before the rope was cut and managed to pull her up. Each day I hoped he wouldn't betray us but he did in the end. Went back to the crows at Castle Black. Hated him for that and so did she, but she loved him too. She had the chance to kill him though. Put three arrows in him but none where she needed to.'

'He returned to Castle Black and then what happened?' Tyrion asked curiously and was now refilling his goblet. He had always wondered what had happened to the bastard boy he had travelled to the Wall with and how that boy became the man he now knew.

'Fought 'em,' Tormund said offhandedly. 'Free Folk lost and I saw him at the end. I wished I'd thrown him off the top of the Wall when I saw him back in black. Knowing how many of my men he killed.'

'Stannis' army had gone north and we intercepted the Wildling camp north of the Wall,' Davos decided to continue to the tale. 'That's when we found Mance Rayder and a certain man of the Night's Watch. I was rather surprised to see Jon Snow alive in the Wildling camp. It was clear then that Jon Snow respected the King Beyond the Wall and the fact that Jon was alive told us as much about Mance.'

'Mance Rayder had two good opportunities to kill Jon Snow. Jon had gone to kill Mance, I know that, but I don't think he could have done it,' Tormund sighed. 'So Mance Rayder **did** get the Free Folk past the Wall in a way. He didn't kill Jon Snow when he had the chance.'

'Having stopped the attack with Stannis' help the Night's Watch elected there new Lord Commander,' Davos continued but sent a sympathetic look towards Ser Jorah. 'Alliser Thorne was the most likely candidate-'

'He hated us!' Tormund scowled at the thought of Alliser Thorne but to watchful eyes there was more to the big man's outburst.

'Can't say I particularly liked him either,' Tyrion agreed and raised his goblet. Tormund did the same with his ale.

'Thorne was the main candidate and one other, whose name I can't remember,' Davos continued. 'Next thing we know, Jon Snow is Lord Commander. He was unexpectedly put forward by one of his friends. Stannis was hoping that tempting Jon with the titles of Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, that Jon would be able to secure the North for Stannis. Jon wasn't going to betray the Night's Watch though. Although, the brothers of the Night's Watch weren't too happy with his next idea.'

'He knew what was coming and that if the Free Folk were on the wrong side of the Wall that we would just become part of the Army of the Dead,' Tormund took up the story again. 'Was wondering if I was about to die when I heard the Lord Commander wanted to see me. Got quite shock when I saw him sitting there. Wanted to kill 'im for what he did. Then he tells me he wants to keep the Free Folk safe and wants to bring them south of the Wall. Exactly what Mance had wanted all along. I looked into his eyes and I could tell he wasn't lying. At Hardhome we found the rest of the Free Folk, some wanted to come with us, some didn't. Then the Army of the Dead came and ripped through Hardhome without a backward glance. Jon killed a White Walker and we didn't save as many people as we wanted to. I'll never forget how the Night King raised his arms and the dead with them. He stared at Jon Snow and knows him now. Jon let the saved Free Folk through the tunnel and south of the Wall and I went with them. He spent too much time with us to let us all die when he could save some of us.'

'That explains why you follow him...but how did the bastard boy become King in the North? You said he didn't leave when Stannis offered him Winterfell, so why did he break his vows to the Watch?' Varys asked curiously.

'And how did he not get beheaded as a deserter?' Tyrion added.

Glances were exchanged between Ser Davos and Tormund as well as a glance from Brienne.

'What is it that you all know that we don't?!' Tyrion finally lost his temper. He hated it when secrets were kept as knowing everything was important for strategy and right now they needed every advantage they could get.

'The crows killed him,' Tormund said bluntly. Missandei gasped at the statement as the news shocked those who were hearing it for the first time.

'Thorne and some of the others stabbed him to death,' Davos continued. 'I found him. They believed he betrayed them by letting the Wildlings past the Wall.' Tormund growled at Davos' last words.

'If he was dead and now alive...how is he different to the army?' Grey Worm asked looking confused.

'He was raised by a red priestess,' Davos sighed.

'Melisandre?' Varys interrupted.

'Yes,' Davos watched Varys carefully.

'She came to Dragonstone...and urged Queen Daenerys to reach out to Jon Snow,' Tyrion concluded.

'That makes sense,' Tormund grumbled. 'She knows what's coming.'

'Once is nothing,' the Hound interjected. 'The drunk Thoros brought back Dondarrion 6 times. I killed the fucker and he came back!'

'I know, I remember that,' Gendry said with a shake of his head. 'One of the weirdest things I've ever seen.'

'So Jon Snow died at the Wall...meaning his watch was over,' Tyrion mused. 'He didn't betray his vows.'

'No,' Davos agreed. 'I'll never forget walking into that room and seeing the corpse on the table breathin'. Wondered what we had done. When he turned to look at me I saw a look in his eyes I haven't seen since...terror. He knew he should be dead but now he was alive again. Took him a while to accept what happened and that he was alive again. Didn't change him though.'

'What d'you mean?' Missandei asked after having gotten over the initial shock of the news.

'He was still Jon Snow. He had every right to be bitter and harsh, but he was still the man he was before. Still interested in helping those that needed it,' Davos explained.

'It was still 'im,' Tormund agreed. 'If it hadn't have been, I'd have finished 'im myself.'

'Then Sansa came and the Bolton idiot sent his demands. Most of the northern houses were too afraid to fight as the Bolton army was too large,' Davos tone had changed and now contained a hint of anger that was being repressed. 'Many also sent ravens to Castle Black asking if Jon was a deserter. The new Lord Commander assured them all that Jon was released from his vows and was not considered a deserter.'

'We won, so it doesn't matter anymore,' Tormund growled. 'Free Folk did most of the fighting and we fought because we believed we would be safer if Jon took back Winterfell. Men from the Vale were helpful too. Never seen the boy lose control until that Bolton shit was in front of him. Beat him bloody.'

'Ramsay had hurt Sansa we knew that, but Rickon died feet from Jon when Ramsay made the boy run across the field. Arrow went straight through his chest,' Davos looked down at his hands with a deep sigh.

'Winterfell was home for the Starks again,' Tormund continued. 'The lords and ladies came crawling back to them. Those that didn't support Jon and Sansa were suddenly making it clear how loyal they were. Mind you, that little bear...' Tormund laughed with a glance at Davos who smirked and then both turned to Ser Jorah.

'What?' Jorah asked at the men's looks.

'Your cousin, Lyanna.' Davos chuckled.

'Fierce little bear. Had those old lords looking like naughty boys when she told them the truth!' Tormund chuckled loudly as he remembered how the little girl had shamed the lords.

'She was the first to call for Jon to be named King in the North,' Davos continued. 'Followed by Lord Manderly and then Lord Glover.'

'Neither gave men to fight but she did,' Tormund muttered.

'Soon the room was chanting 'King in the North'. That's how Jon became King,' Davos finished and downed the rest of his ale in one gulp.

'The people chose him?' Missandei looked to Davos for confirmation who nodded.

'Like the Queen,' Grey Worm stated making everyone turn.

'The Queen freed the slaves in Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen,' Missandei explained. 'I was a slave but now I follow our Queen.'

'Unsullied follow Daenerys Targaryen as she freed us from the masters. She said we didn't have to go with her but we chose to,' Grey Worm stated defiantly. 'She is the Breaker of Chains.'

'She saved many slaves from their masters and freed Slaver's Bay,' Ser Jorah added. 'I must say, it was quite the sight seeing the Unsullied march for her and the freedom she gave to those who had been slaves.

'It wasn't easy though,' Tyrion sighed. 'The Masters didn't take kindly to her taking away something that they profited from. Many attempts were made on her life and they nearly succeeded,' Tyrion shared a glance with Ser Jorah as both men remembered what had happened in the fighting pits.

'She ended up captured by the Dothraki,' Ser Jorah added. 'Although if she hadn't, then she would never have taken command of the Dothraki army. That was an event I will never forget.'

'What happened?' Ser Davos asked. 'I've heard rumours.'

'She killed the Khals who would have forced her to stay in Vaes Dothrak as a Dosh Khaleen. The widows of Khals are to remain there until their death. She burnt down the temple with them inside and she emerged untouched by the fire like she had when the dragons were born. The Dothraki follow strength and she proved herself to be strong.'

'She killed them,' Pod suddenly looked very worried as the group digested the news.

'Does Jon Snow not kill?' Grey Worm asked defensively.

'Of course he does,' Brienne answered while clasping Pod's arm to give him some reassurance. Brienne was sure Pod was worrying what would happen if any of them annoyed the Dragon Queen and that thought frightened her as well. 'When circumstances justify it, as any ruler must.'

Her answer settled Grey Worm but Brienne was more than aware that her comment had been taken how she intended by the others around the table. This alliance was uneasy one and Brienne knew little of the Queen except for the voyage to White Harbour and what she had heard. The sides were not united yet and if Brienne was anything to go by, the North would harder to convince when the truth of Daenerys' actions was revealed. The North was a suspicious place and had suffered at the hands of the Targaryens, mainly the Mad King who had burnt the Starks alive. It would take time for them to warm to Daenerys, if they could at all. Time they didn't have and, as they were fond of reminding everyone, the North remembers.

An uncomfortable silence ensued which was finally broken by a loud roar that made everyone jump to their feet at once.

* * *

 **A/N: As always, if I've made a massive error let me know. I am basing this off the tv show and not the books.**

 **I kinda felt the last bit was being a bit harsh on Dany but I was trying to see it from an outsider's point of view. I also felt that Jon's story to the rest of the group wasn't well known whereas Dany's was better known even if the finer details were missing.**

 **If you're wondering about Cersei and Jamie I have already written some of that but so far in the timeline it hasn't fitted in yet.**

 **Anyway, any helpful tips would be appreciated. I hope that you enjoyed it. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter ended up a bit longer than expected. Also, I've had flu and that has affected my writing. Apologies.**

 **Warning for swearing but this is GoT so...**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. :)**

* * *

Chapter 5

Jon was beginning to wonder how far they must have travelled as Rhaegal continued to soar effortlessly through the air. He glanced across occasionally to watch Daenerys whose body language was stiff and tense while Drogon also flew effortlessly.

'I hope you know your way back to White Harbour,' Jon said quietly to Rhaegal with a hint of amusement in his voice. Rhaegal answered him with an annoyed snap of a roar but Jon could feel that Rhaegal wasn't really annoyed. Jon let his mind wander as he thought about the ridiculousness of the past few hours. Well, he assumed it had been hours but time has little meaning when you are flying through the sky or being attacked by the dead.

The idea of him riding a dragon was weird and strange but he was gripping tightly to Rhaegal's spines waiting to wake up from this strange dream. Except that he knew this wasn't a dream. He chuckled softly as he thought of how jealous Arya would be when she found out, as she had always dreamed of riding a dragon like the Targaryen queens. He was eager to see his little sister again as the last time he had seen her was at Winterfell before she went south and he went north. He had assumed her dead because that was the easiest way to continue with his life. Constantly hoping that she would return without her arrival would have broken him and he knew it. Now he hoped they would see each other again and nothing would get in the way. Both of them were damaged by their journeys back to Winterfell, he was sure of that, but seeing her again would momentarily deflect from all of the darkness ahead.

Daenerys looked across to Jon and watched the remarkable sight before her. Rhaegal had allowed Jon Snow to climb on his back and come after her. She had resigned herself to the fact that Drogon would be the only dragon with a true rider. She wondered at Rhaegal's reaction earlier when he had moved away from her as she approached with the intent to ride. Viserys had always told her that a dragon chooses its rider and then would never fly solo with another rider until that rider's death. Was that why he had refused rather than because he thought it was a bad idea? She had assumed that perhaps one day she would ride Rhaegal and Viserion as there were no other Targaryens left to be riders for her dragons. Very few even had the blood of Old Valyria any more.

Viserion had been stolen by the Night King and it grieved her to know that her child had been transformed into a monster to battle against her and his brothers. Though smaller than Drogon and roughly the same size as Rhaegal, she knew Viserion would be able to inflict damage to his brothers. Possibly, more than before he had been raised from the dead.

Jon appeared to Daenerys to be lost in his own thoughts and she wondered whether he was asking himself the same question, 'Why had Rhaegal chosen him?'. Daenerys thought back to Dragonstone when Drogon had approached Jon. Drogon had been trying to scare Jon, she was aware of that, but Drogon wouldn't have harmed him either. To see Jon reach out and touch Drogon was an amazing sight to see but even more so was Drogon's acceptance of the touch. Jon was lucky he still had his life.

She began to wonder about this strange, rather broody Northerner. How had he managed to break down her defences? He was as stubborn as she was and there was a power she could sense that coursed through him. She wasn't sure that he even noticed it himself. She knew very little about him apart from the fact he was Ned Stark's bastard who had been raised at Winterfell. He rarely talked about himself and preferred to discuss others. He occasionally spoke about his siblings, well half-siblings, not that he defined them as such, showing how much they meant to him. He still remained an enigma in so many ways.

The scars on his chest had been a difficult topic which had resulted in the explanation that he had been killed and raised to live again but he went into little detail about the event. She knew that he had died by the hands of his brothers in the Night's Watch but she knew nothing about the men that had betrayed their Lord Commander.

Raised a bastard but now King in the North. She wanted more detail about him and she was determined that she would get it.

The dragons continued to soar and the sky started to clear. Both Jon and Daenerys were soaked through as the dragons had flown through the clouds to stay out of sight. Both were shivering now but neither of the dragons appeared to be bothered by the weather at all.

Jon snapped out of his thoughts when Rhaegal suddenly dived towards the ground. Jon held on tightly to Rhaegal's spines as the dragon descended before he levelled out just before the ground and skimmed momentarily across a small forest of trees before flying upwards again. Jon found himself gasping for breath and could heard a clicking noise coming from Rhaegal.

'Were you just waking me up?' Jon asked with exasperation. Rhaegal emitted a low growl which Jon was beginning to recognise as a more friendly and affirmative growl. Jon could also feel the vibrations through Rhaegal's body and wondered whether the dragon was laughing at him. Jon looked across and saw that there was someone definitely laughing at him. Daenerys was smiling broadly as Jon looked back sheepishly as the dragons flew side by side.

In the distance Jon could see White Harbour with its torches lit, gleaming in the growing darkness. The dragons had brought them back.

* * *

The unmistakable roar of the dragons caused everyone to jump to their feet. Grey Worm was first to run out of the inn followed quickly by Tormund and Jorah. Brienne had held back long enough to snatch a lantern as had Davos, while Missandei and Tyrion had turned to the bewildered occupants of the inn, explaining that there was no need to worry.

The group ran towards the field where there were campfires for the remaining soldiers and saw the two easily identifiable silhouettes of the dragons.

Daenerys and Jon braced themselves for landing as they saw the camps of the soldiers who had accompanied them from Dragonstone. Daenerys was used to the sensation but Jon was still apprehensive about the whole dragon riding thing. Rhaegal landed softly on the ground but Jon still felt it jolt right through him. Daenerys dismounted gracefully but Jon dismounted rather clumsily, making her laugh.

Daenerys started to stroke Drogon's chin and thank him for being there for her. The dragon closed his eyes lazily at her touch.

Jon turned and found Rhaegal staring right back at him with quite a piercing glare. Jon reached out and stroked Rhaegal's chin and Jon could feel the low growl emitting from the dragon, rather than hearing it. Jon then started to tickle the dragon under the chin more forcefully and found that the dragon closed his eyes and was clearly enjoying the touch. Jon was reminded of Ghost who also loved having his chin and neck tickled.

Daenerys and Jon were aware of the approaching group of people closing in on them and the dragons huffed slightly before turning away and taking to the skies, leaving their riders alone.

Tyrion's silhouette was closing in on them and though they could only see the shadow of his face they knew he was angry.

'I don't think we should tell him about the White Walker just yet,' Daenerys muttered under her breath.

'I agree,' Jon answered. 'We'll have to tell him eventually though.'

'Nice of you to join us,' Tyrion bristled as they finally arrived within earshot of the two young royals. 'I'm sure you had quite an adventure.'

'We're back now,' Daenerys replied as Jon saw her instantly change to her queenly demeanour.

'We are glad you are back safely my queen, my lord,' Grey Worm looked relieved that they were standing in front of him. There were affirmative mutters and nods from the rest of the group at Grey Worm's words.

'Yes, it is a relief,' Tyrion glared at them. 'Do you have any idea what you both risked today?!' Tyrion asked as his temper finally flared.

'My lord-' Jon started but was cut off.

'No, I'm not so sure you do,' Tyrion's nostrils flared as he stared at them. 'You two are the most important people in Westeros right now!' Jon's face must have betrayed him as Tyrion directed his next comment solely at Jon. 'Yes, I know how remarkable that would seem to you Jon Snow but the truth is that right now **you are** one of the most important people in Westeros!' Tyrion looked between Jon and Daenerys who both looked slightly abashed at Tyrion's rant. 'We can't afford to lose either of you!'

'Lord Tyrion,' Davos interrupted. 'I think they have been suitably scolded and both of them are aware that their actions cannot be repeated.' Davos made eye-contact with Tyrion and the latter seemed to deflate. Davos looked to Jon who gave him a grateful look.

'Please don't ever disappear like that again,' Tyrion looked pleadingly to Daenerys, who finally nodded, and then to Jon who also gave a short nod.

'Well that's enough excitement for one day,' Tormund said with a grin. The Hound shook his head at the comment but didn't say anything.

'I thought you were going to get eaten,' Gendry blurted out looking directly at Jon before looking sheepishly at his boots.

'For a moment, so did I,' Jon replied with a grin making Gendry chuckle under his breath.

'Are you not cold, my lord?' Pod asked Jon. Pod was still a bit wary of addressing Daenerys. 'You're soaking wet and ice is starting to form,' Pod indicated Jon's dark cloak which had icicles forming on it.

'You're right Podrick,' Daenerys answered with a smile. She knew he was intimidated by her. 'We had to fly through some clouds.'

'Let's get back inside as the temperature is dropping now the sun has set,' Brienne encouraged with a slight snap to her voice as she started to walk back to the inn.

'Where are we with ravens for Last Hearth, Karhold, Castle Black and Winterfell?' Jon asked as he was eager to get back to business and change the mood.

'I have outlined messages for you to approve,' Jorah answered. 'We thought it would be best if the ravens were written in your hand, my lord.'

'Let's get it done,' Jon said purposefully and started to walk towards the inn and Brienne who was waiting with a lantern to lead the way.

'Jon,' Daenerys called and Jon turned to face her. She had only ever addressed him as Lord Snow in public so this familiarity was a surprise to those around them. 'I meant what I said. The North is yours.' Jon nodded that he understood. He was again King in the North and he would have to sign the ravens with his title. 'The King in the North is to be given the respect he deserves,' Daenerys added while looking at her advisors who all nodded that they had understood. Jon was to be addressed as a king and not a lord.

The group made their way back to the inn with Jon momentarily going to check on his men. Kauko assured Daenerys that all was well with the small contingent of Dothraki and Grey Worm reported that the Unsullied were fine as well, if a little cold. The main forces of the Dothraki and Unsullied were due to arrive on the morrow.

Jon was discussing the ravens that needed to be sent with Davos and Jorah while Daenerys was talking to Missandei about having a bath when she got back to her room.

Tyrion held back as did Varys as they let the group move out of earshot before speaking.

'Well, I suppose that helps deal with the problem of the Northern lords rejecting Daenerys as their queen,' Tyrion said quietly.

'Yes,' Varys agreed wistfully. 'Of course, it will make it much harder for her to rule the North when the fighting is done. Assuming that we live through the battle to come which is not guaranteed.'

'She loves him,' Tyrion mused.

'And he loves her,' Varys answered.

'It is a problem if they start putting each other before the people they are meant to serve.'

'Indeed.'

* * *

Jon found his was weary when they arrived at the inn. The high of the dragon ride and the adrenaline needed to fight the White Walker had worn off leaving him exhausted. He had ravens to write and needed food and ale and then he planned on retiring for the night.

He entered the inn and the noise stopped instantly. He looked around and saw the occupants staring at him before the woman who had booked the rooms knelt before him.

'Your Grace,' she said quietly. Others in the room followed her example while some merely bowed their heads.

'Stand, please,' Jon said feeling rather out of place. Together those that had knelt stood in unison.

'King Jon!'

'The White Wolf!'

'King in the North!'

Wolf howls were frequently copied as the inn cheered their king. No-one seemed to notice how uncomfortable Jon was at the attention.

'Anything you need is on t'house,' the woman smiled as she leant forwards so he could hear her over the noise.

'Thank you,' Jon answered with a smile while making a mental note to get Davos to leave payment before they left.

The chants stopped and murmurs started passing around the room with eyes turning to another figure. Daenerys felt herself tense as she took in the looks from the people in the inn. None of the looks were in any way friendly and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

'Targaryen'

'Whore...'

'False queen.'

'Foreigner.'

'This is Queen Daenerys Targaryen,' Jon's voice rose above all the others. Heads turned to look at him and the murmurs ceased. He was now standing in the middle of the room with his shoulders back and an authoritative tone in his voice. 'She is my guest and she and her council will treated with respect. She is not here to invade but to help and she is here at **my** invitation.'

Silence followed Jon's declaration before finally being broken.

'Queen Daenerys!'

'Dragon Queen!'

'Hands off our King!'

'A king rules the North!'

Jon moved away from the chants and sat down in the middle of the pushed together tables. Daenerys felt herself breathe out a sigh of relief and sat opposite Jon as the chants finally died down and the normal hubbub resumed.

Davos turned Jon's attention to the ravens that needed to be written while Tyrion tried to convince Daenerys that her 'welcome' could have been far worse.

Jon quickly dispatched the ravens for Last Hearth and Karhold, informing them that the Wall had fallen at Eastwatch and that they should retreat back to Winterfell with as many weapons and as much food as possible. Tormund had told Jon that he had sent the remaining Free Folk to Winterfell when he made his way to Eastwatch so the Free Folk should have moved out of the path of the Night King.

A thick mutton stew with fresh bread had arrived and Jon realised that he was ravenous. Daenerys too had found her appetite and the group ate quickly and quietly with very little conversation. Jon mulled over the raven for Winterfell as he thought of Sansa, Arya and Bran. He was eager to see them all especially now that time was against them in the fight against the Army of the Dead.

 _Sansa, Arya and Bran,_

 _I have arrived at White Harbour with Queen Daenerys and her followers. We are heading to Winterfell as soon as the remaining ships have docked. I bring grave news as the Wall has fallen at Eastwatch. The Army of the Dead are on the march. I have sent ravens to Last Hearth, Karhold and Castle Black encouraging them to head for Winterfell with as many supplies as possible. I look forward to seeing you all._

 _Your brother, Jon Snow, King in the North._

Jon sighed as he re-read the raven scroll. He knew he had to tell Sansa about the evacuees who would soon be gracing Winterfell. He hated to send news of the Wall in a raven but he knew it couldn't wait for them to arrive at Winterfell. He could trust Sansa to do what needed to be done and as soon as possible. He thought of Arya and Bran and how he would see them again. Sansa's last raven had suggested some big changes in his little brother and he wasn't sure what to expect. Arya, he was sure, would still be Arya, even with the changes she must have undergone. They were all different now.

Jon finally started scribbling for Castle Black. Tormund had told him of the destruction and how there were no ravens to send the message. Hopefully, Ser Beric had arrived and informed Edd of the Wall but Jon knew he couldn't rely on one man getting to Castle Black alone.

 _Edd,_

 _The Wall has gone at Eastwatch. Gather the men and strip Castle Black. Bring all the food and weapons you can and head for Winterfell._

 _Jon._

Jon didn't bother signing his title as Edd would do as he was asked without question. He also felt rather stupid signing it 'King in the North' when Edd was one of his closest friends.

Daenerys watched Jon writing the raven scrolls and wished she could help but he had to do this himself. She looked around the table and saw the young man she had seen at Eastwatch, Gendry she thought his name was, and Podrick exchanging tales of their adventures. Brienne was talking to the Hound which surprised her and both were being watched, none too subtly, by Tormund. Tyrion was now fully into his cups and was talking mostly nonsense with Varys rolling his eyes occasionally. Missandei was talking to Grey Worm in rapid Valyrian, while Jorah and Davos were helping Jon put the finishing touches to the raven scrolls. For a moment she felt rather alone within this large group of people.

Jon had finished the scroll and looked like he was about to fall asleep at the table as Davos and Jorah hurried away to send the ravens on their way. He looked sullen and very broody when only hours ago he had been happy to be back in the North.

The inn was falling quiet now as the weary travellers sought their beds with many having to rise early.

Daenerys stood which halted the conversations around her. 'I think I shall retire,' she announced and looked to Missandei who instantly understood that Daenerys wanted a bath and would then go to bed. 'Goodnight,' she bade all around the table with her eyes lingering on Jon for a moment longer. They had both discussed that they should stay away from each other as they didn't want to cause whispers to spread.

'Goodnight,' was the general consensus as Daenerys left with Missandei who had retrieved the key from the returning Ser Davos.

Tyrion left soon after as did Brienne and Jorah. Varys was now staring out of the window in his own thoughts and everyone else left him to it. Grey Worm had ordered guards outside Daenerys room while Jon had decided that his men could guard the hallway, and subsequently all the rooms they were using, in shifts meaning that fewer men were needed. Davos suspected the landlady had moved her customers around so that the King's entourage would all be together.

'So how was the dragon riding?' Tormund asked raising his eyebrows. Jon may have been tired but he knew what the red-haired man was getting at.

'Rather scary and cold. The wind nearly froze me and I was sure I was going to fall off,' Jon answered with some mirth as the Hound chuckled and Davos snorted into his ale. Pod and Gendry failed to hide their grins. Tormund laughed loudly after a moment.

'Where did that sense of humour come from?' Tormund laughed. 'So...what was she like?'

'I'm not discussing **that** topic with you,' Jon mumbled as he drank some ale.

'So you don't deny it?' Tormund teased.

'He can't deny it, we all heard it,' the Hound said with an air of annoyance and admiration. Davos had raised his fist to his mouth to try and hide his smile while Gendry and Pod looked a little embarrassed.

'I'm going to bed,' Jon declared as he downed his ale. 'Alone,' he clarified when Tormund raised his eyebrows suggestively again. Jon swiped the key from Davos' hand and made his way up the stairs. It had been an exhausting day and Jon managed to undress himself before falling into bed and a rather fitful sleep.

Daenerys soaked in the bath as long as she could and noticed Missandei stifling a yawn.

'Go to bed,' she encouraged her. 'I can take care of myself,' she added with a smile as Missandei excused herself while failing to stifle another yawn.

Soon the water became tepid and Daenerys stepped out. The fire in her room had gone down so she added a couple of logs and shivered slightly as she got ready for bed. She thought about the extraordinary events of the day and everything that had happened so quickly. The news that the Wall had fallen. Rhaegal and Jon. The hostility that she had expected but perhaps wasn't ready for. She dressed herself in her nightgown and snuggled under the furs. The North was Jon's home but to her it was another challenge she needed to overcome.

* * *

It was late and Cersei was sitting in her chambers sipping wine and gently caressing her stomach when there was a knock at the door. She instantly knew who it was.

'Come in, Qyburn,' she said as she sipped more wine.

'Your Grace,' Qyburn gave a nod and she indicated that he should sit in the chair opposite.

'How goes the hunt for my brother?' she asked her voice was outwardly calm but inside she was in turmoil. The one person she thought would never leave her had left her alone and vulnerable. How could he leave her now?

'My little birds tell me that he left King's Landing and was travelling north,' Qyburn answered.

'So, he's going to the dragon bitch and the Stark bastard,' she replied though gritted teeth. Not only had he left her, he was going to her enemies and her evil younger brother. He always had a soft spot for that monster.

'And what of his lap dog, Bronn?' she asked with clear disgust on her face.

'Missing, Your Grace,' Qyburn answered quietly. 'But he left several bodies in his wake.'

'Find my brother and bring him to me alive,' she stated forcefully. 'Kill the sell-sword.' She waved her hand and dismissed Qyburn who instantly stood and left.

She needed Jamie back. For so long he had been the anchor for her. They were twins, they had shared a womb. They were meant to be at each other's side forever. She would get him back.

* * *

Jamie was sitting in a tavern on the coast eating some bread and a brown coloured stew, he wasn't exactly sure what was in it and had thought better than to ask. To go with it, he was drinking some truly awful wine to wash down his unnamed stew. So far, nobody had bothered him. His gold hand was hidden and he tried not to talk down to people as that would most likely give away his nobility. He may have been one of the most recognisable faces in Westeros but his dark clothes and the change in his manner had meant that no-one seemed to have recognised him so far. He was grateful for that at least. He was sure Cersei would have sent out a search party by now. Most likely several.

The room he had been given was sparse and the bed had seen better days. Many years ago he would have been repulsed by the room but now he was just glad to have somewhere to sleep that had four walls. His time as Robb Stark's prisoner had humbled him somewhat, as had his trek with Brienne.

At first, he had thought about riding all the way north but had settled with finding a port and a ship which would allow him make his way to White Harbour. He could follow the King's Road from there. He had at least thought to bring gold with him but was very careful at hiding it and placed some in separate bags hidden in his cloak, tunic and even his socks.

The morning dawned and Jamie set about finding himself a ship that would go north. As he made his way down to the harbour his heart jumped to his mouth. There were Lannister ships docked which hadn't been there the day before. In the distance he could see more of the Lannister fleet and cursed himself for being predictable. He needed to get to his horse and abandon his plan and ride north instead.

'Yer know, for a man of yer education...yer really not that clever,' a gruff and very recognisable voice startled him from behind him.

Bronn moved so he was stood next to Jamie and was wearing the annoyingly smug grin that he often wore.

'Come to take me back to my sister?' Jamie asked with a tinge of anger.

'Your sister? Fuck no!' Bronn actually looked hurt by the suggestion which made Jamie smile. 'She wants me dead! Personally, I don't like her either,' he added.

'And I owe you a castle and a wife,' Jamie smirked.

'Yer do. If you don't get me what I'm owed yer brother will have to,' Bronn said making Jamie smile. 'Lannisters and their debts...'

'The Lannister ships?' Jamie asked with a raised eyebrow. Bronn was capable of a lot but rallying the Lannister troops was something Jamie thought was beyond the sell-sword.

'I told 'em what you told me about the dead coming for us,' Bronn was now nonchalantly cleaning his nails with a dagger. 'Then weeded out the traitors sent by yer sister.' Jamie gave Bronn a quizzical look. 'Some think I'm stupid but I know who's loyal to yer sister. Slit the throat of one or two of them an' the rest ran off.' He placed his dagger back in its sheath on his belt.

'I'm glad you're on my side,' Jamie was glad Bronn had appeared. The man may be rough around the edges but he was a useful man have at your side.

'So...' Bronn clasped his hands together, 'shall we go to White Harbour?' Bronn strode ahead and headed for one of the ships docked at the port.

For a moment, Jamie felt a pang of guilt for leaving his sister behind. They had always been together and he loved her but he had to do what he thought was right. She was no longer the woman she used to be and he was no longer the man he had been before King Robert had died.

* * *

 **A/N: I'll admit that I struggle a bit when I have a large amount of characters together. I do find it difficult to make them all relevent in a scene so I apologise if it was a bit stilted. Thanks for your continued support. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Apologies for the late update. Life etc. got in the way. I thank you all for keeping with this fic.**

 **To my guest commenters who have again noticed my tendency for putting 'was sat', thank you for spotting it. It was brought to my attention on an earlier chapter and I am aware that it is incorrect. I actually wrote the Cersei and Jamie bits before the original commenter noticed. I looked it up then and found it was wrong. I think it is a thing in Lancashire. The problem that I have is when I re-read it, it doesn't sound wrong to me so I don't notice it. I'm trying hard to resolve this. :)**

 **I hope you enjoy it and hopefully it will move a bit quicker after this chapter. :)**

* * *

Chapter 6

Dawn broke and Jon felt as though he had hardly slept as he heard rapping on his door.

'Your Grace, time to rise,' Davos stated through the door. Jon let out a loud groan in response and heard Davos chuckle as his footsteps retreated. For a moment Jon was disorientated and then the events of the day before hit him hard. He had climbed onto the back of a dragon, he had flown through the sky, fought a White Walker and was once again King in the North.

He flumped back onto the pillow and closed his eyes and tried to bring a semblance of calm to himself. He raised his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes before trailing his hands through his beard and opening his eyes.

He sat up with a groan as his body ached with having used different muscles than usual while flying on Rhaegal. He blinked as the room was showing some light trailing in but the mornings were becoming darker for longer. Winter was truly here. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood to open the door and retrieve the water that Davos had most likely brought to his room.

The pail of water was indeed outside his room when he opened the door and he eagerly retrieved it. He splashed his face with the cold water and hissed as it touched his skin. He was now awake, that was for sure. He quickly washed and did the best he could to comb the knots out of his hair. He remembered how Arya had once said she was envious of his curls and the memory of his little sister made him smile. He would be seeing her soon.

He dragged his hair back and tied it with short piece of ribbon. His old hairstyle reminded him too much of what had happened at Castle Black.

He quickly dressed and made his way downstairs.

He was surprised to see that he was one of the last to break his fast as usually he was one of the first. Daenerys was sitting between Missandei and Tyrion while Tormund was discussing something animatedly with Pod and Gendry. Davos, Jorah and Varys were talking quietly and the Hound was sitting on his own looking morose.

Jon noticed the free seat which was meant to be his as it was positioned between Tormund and Davos.

'No wonder he's so pretty, he gets so much beauty sleep,' Tormund chuckled as everyone turned to see Jon standing at the edge of the room. Jon instantly noticed that Daenerys was laughing behind her hand as she looked at him. He felt his stomach knot as her hair was mostly down with a small braid keeping her hair from her face.

'Blame Davos, he only just got me up,' Jon grumbled as he approached the table which was laden with eggs, bacon, sausage and some oatmeal.

'What?' Davos looked questioningly at Jon as Jon took his seat. 'Do you really need me to wake you up?'

'Apparently I did this morning,' Jon muttered as he filled a plate with eggs and bacon.

'Tiring riding a dragon is it?' Tormund chuckled as everyone else sniggered. Jon just glared back.

'I have no idea what you are trying to insinuate?' Daenerys looked at Tormund with a fierce look but a smile to accompany it, showing that she wasn't truly annoyed. Daenerys wasn't sure why she liked Tormund but she did. Missandei had informed her that her relationship with Jon was rather well known among those around the table.

'You're fiery, aren't you?' Tormund stared back. He turned to Jon, 'I see why you like her!' he slapped Jon's shoulder as he laughed. 'Not sure what you see in him,' Tormund looked to Daenerys and jabbed his thumb in Jon's direction. 'He's pretty but moody and-'

Tormund was cut off as Jon kicked him under the table and stared a Tormund with a powerful glare.

'Ah, there the wolf is,' Tormund laughed again as he noticed Jon twirling his knife in his hand. 'Shutting up.'

Brienne entered the room with Grey Worm beside her and all eyes turned to them.

'The first of your ships will be docking within the hour, Your Grace,' Brienne told Daenerys.

'Unsullied will be here first,' Grey Worm added. 'Hopefully, all ships will dock today.'

Brienne sat down next to Pod and filled a plate while Grey Worm looked slightly apprehensive as he did the same.

'If we can get all of my army docked today we will be able to leave tomorrow,' Daenerys said looking directly at Jon.

'Let's hope they do as we can't waste any more time,' Jon agreed.

'We will have to supervise the armies as they dock so as not to cause a panic,' Tyrion pointed out. 'You will need to be there to reassure the people,' Tyrion said looking directly at Jon.

Jon had to admit that he hadn't thought of that. Unsullied soldiers and Dothraki disembarking would cause a fair bit of panic unless he was there to reassure them.

'You're right Lord Tyrion, I will make sure I'm there to reassure the people of White Harbour that the armies are of no threat to them,' Jon answered. Tyrion nodded that it was now agreed.

Small conversations broke out along the table as many continued to eat. Jon was becoming unnerved as he felt he was being watched. He looked up to see that Varys was staring at him.

'Is there something you wish to ask me Lord Varys?' Jon asked tetchily. He didn't like the way Varys was looking at him. Silence fell as Varys found himself the centre of attention.

'Forgive me, Your Grace, it is nothing,' Varys answered but Jon stared back.

'If there is something you want to ask, then ask,' Jon replied. The look Varys was giving him was very unnerving, as though the man was trying to look into Jon's soul.

Varys sighed and saw that he had everyone's attention. He would have to ask. 'What do you know about your mother, Your Grace?' Varys asked. Jon's pupils widened at the question, clearly not expecting it. A tension built around the table as it was a question that they had all thought of at some point but had never dared to ask.

Jon found multiple sets of eyes now focusing on him. Daenerys looked curious as Jon had not discussed his mother with her and Jon knew she wanted to know.

'Nothing,' Jon answered in little more than a whisper. 'I don't even know her name.'

'You mean Lord Stark never told you?' Tyrion asked sounding surprised.

'Do you know something, Lord Tyrion?' Jon asked with a hint of anger in his voice but it was Varys who answered.

'Lord Eddard Stark told King Robert Baratheon that you mother's name was Wylla,' Varys stated. 'Naturally I sent my little birds out to discover the truth.'

'And?' Jon felt his heartbeat start to quicken. Did his father tell others but not him? Was Ned Stark ever going to tell him the truth? He never anticipated that he would find out like this.

'I couldn't find a trace of her,' Varys answered. Jon sighed loudly and felt his energy drain. 'There were women of such a name but none that could have been your mother.'

'He lied then,' Jon said quietly.

'It would appear so,' Tyrion agreed. 'Didn't think the man had it in him.' Tyrion looked slightly taken aback at the growl from Jon. 'Meaning no offence,' Tyrion added and looked away from Jon.

'Why the curiosity about my mother?' Jon asked.

'Yeah, why now?' Davos added in support.

'The dragon,' Varys answered simply.

'What about my dragons?' Daenerys asked defensively.

'Dragon riders typically have the blood of Old Valyria,' Varys explained. 'Most notably the Targaryens. That dragon accepted His Grace instantly. It was said that much time was needed to bond a dragon and rider, but Targaryen blood was an advantage which made the process easier.'

'Are you trying to say that Jon is a secret Targaryen?' Jorah asked with and air if incredulousness.

Various chuckles and stifled laughs were heard around the room. Daenerys had furrowed her eyebrows in thought but Jon's glare was more wolf-like than anyone had seen before and the short burst of laughter was quickly silenced when his expression was seen.

'I had thought that perhaps your mother may have had Valyrian blood but I'm afraid my inquiries came back with nothing,' Varys continued, seemingly unaffected by Jon's countenance.

'So why mention it at all?' Jon growled. His mother had always been a sore point for Jon and he had finally put the issue to rest when he realised that he would never know the truth. It was now an open wound again and at the worst time when he was already stressed enough.

'I just thought that you may have some insight,' Varys stated plainly. 'I was obviously wrong and I did not mean to upset you, Your Grace.' Varys stood and walked out of the room.

Jon felt rattled and pushed his plate away and stood before exiting the room through the same door that Varys had used. The Hound also rose from the table and followed Jon.

Worried looks were exchanged between those left at the table.

'Well that went well,' Tyrion uttered with his voice dripping with irony before sipping his morning wine.

'Always been a sore spot,' Davos sighed. 'Damn near bit my head off when I dared to ask when we took back Winterfell.'

'Yeah, I remember,' Tormund agreed. 'If there's one subject that brings out the wolf it is that one.'

'I don't blame him,' Gendry snapped to the surprise of the others around the table. 'What?'

'Explain,' Tyrion said as he sat forward and watched Gendry. He knew little of the young man before him except that he had been happy to serve Jon Snow and had a history with Ser Davos. He had to admit that he was curious and he was sure Varys knew who the boy was but the Spider had been tight-lipped on the matter.

Gendry suddenly felt uncomfortable with the level of attention he was drawing. He looked to Ser Davos who gave him a reassuring look which also said beware the full truth. Although Gendry had told Jon the truth about his father he wasn't stupid. He knew that Jon wasn't likely to reject him for his parentage because Jon understood, just as Gendry understood Jon's annoyance moments earlier.

'None of you know,' Gendry started. 'None of you know what it is like to wonder whose child you are.'

'You're a bastard,' Tyrion stated and Gendry gave a dark glare back. 'Hey, I'm a dwarf and I'll tell you the same thing I told King Jon when he was just a mere boy. Wear it like armour, then it can never be used to hurt you. He took my advice.' Tyrion sipped his wine and managed a sympathetic look to Gendry. Pod, who was sitting beside Gendry, nodded and smiled for Gendry to continue although Gendry was hesitant.

'Please continue...Gendry?' Daenerys gave a small smile as she hoped to encourage the young man to complete his tale. She knew that Jon wasn't very good at expressing his feelings so she hoped Gendry would give her a better idea as to Jon's frame of mind.

'You're right, my name is Gendry, Your Grace,' Gendry continued and Daenerys gave a nod. 'I never met my father. My mother never told me who he was. It's like there is a part of you missing and you're not whole without it. Master Mott, who taught me to smith, was more like my father but I knew he wasn't.' Gendry had given Mott a lot of thought since he had learned the truth. He had realised that the smith had known his true parentage all along and that was the reason he had sent him away, to save him. 'I understand how the King feels. You have to accept that you will never know the truth and that wound has been opened again.' Gendry knew the truth now but Jon never would and that made him feel true empathy for the King. He had heard a lot about Jon from Arya and he had realised that her descriptions were not exaggerated.

Daenerys realised that she didn't truly understand Jon's plight and nor would anyone truly understand everything she had been through. Being on the run for so long, hiding from assassins and finally becoming strong enough to do what she wanted. She wondered whether telling Jon the truth about her own experiences may help him to open up about his. They barely knew each other if truth be told.

* * *

Jon needed fresh air as the discussion about the mother he had never known had set him on edge. He had accepted that he would never know who she was and now Varys had opened the wound again. Damn him.

'What do you want Clegane?' Jon asked as the Hound stood beside him.

'If you want to shout you can,' the scarred man replied simply. Jon didn't know what he wanted but he was sure he didn't want to talk to the Hound. Or maybe he did.

'Why now? Why bring this up now?!' Jon blurted out. 'I accepted it. I accepted that I would never know who she was.'

'Maybe you never did,' the Hound replied calmly. 'Bloody strange the way that dragon reacted to you. You got massive balls to go near those things without the Queen about.'

'The dragon just knew I wanted to help,' Jon said defiantly while making a mental note to stay away from the dragons from now on. He didn't need rumours of potential Targaryen blood running through his veins when the North was about to face the hardest battle they had ever fought. He didn't need doubts now.

'Did I say anything different,' the Hound kept his calm but he knew Jon was reaching the point that he needed to.

Jon slumped defeated onto a bench next to an outside table and the Hound sat next to him.

'Go on, say it, you'll feel better,' the Hound said plainly.

'The last thing my father told me was that when I next saw him we would talk my mother,' Jon said trying to keep the tears of emotion away. 'I never saw him again. I was so close to knowing the one thing I had always wanted to know.'

'I didn't know your father well, but I think he meant it,' Sandor replied quietly. 'He was a man who kept his word.'

'I don't know who she was, what she looked like, only that my father would never speak of her,' Jon continued as he found he just couldn't stop himself. Why was he telling the Hound of all people? 'I asked many times and he always made an excuse or changed the subject. I know it annoyed him but I needed to know. In the end I gave up asking until that last moment when we went our separate ways.' Jon knit his eyebrows together in thought.

'You think he was ashamed?' Sandor prodded as he was sure Jon had remembered something.

'No, more like he was upset,' Jon looked to the Hound for the first time.

'Upset that you asked?'

'No, more like the memory of her was painful,' Jon answered. 'That doesn't make sense.' Jon shook himself. He had imagined it. 'He loved Lady Catelyn, I know that.'

'Doesn't mean he didn't love your mother as well,' the Hound watched Jon carefully.

Jon scrubbed his hand over his face with a deep sigh.

'I'll never know, will I?' he said as he stood and started to make his way through the city towards the harbour.

The Hound watched Jon with a sigh. He had thought to tell Jon about Arya but he was also reticent to say anything as he had actually kidnapped Arya to try and sell her back to her family. The family she failed to find alive. He wasn't sure how Jon would take the news so he had kept it to himself. He had heard that Arya was alive and at Winterfell and he had to decide whether he would return to Winterfell and Arya Stark, or not.

* * *

Arya was standing in the courtyard at Winterfell overseeing some of the training. Today archery was the discipline and Arya knew there was a lot of work to do. Arya hadn't shot arrows for quite some time and had found herself to be a little rusty. She once again remembered how her father had watched her and how she had managed to convince Jon to give her secret lessons later on. Her mother would have been scandalised if she had known!

She imagined that Jon was beside her as she lined up the target. She also remembered not to hold her shot for too long. She hit the right of the target first, then the bottom and finally the middle. She turned to her left where Jon would have been standing if he had been there and found her smile meeting a set of red eyes.

'I miss him Ghost,' Arya said sadly. Ghost moved forward so she could stroke him and scratch his ears. 'He's coming back, isn't he?' Ghost just blinked and sauntered off to do whatever he did all day.

Arya turned back to the trainees who were improving but would need to improve more quickly if they were to be truly helpful in the fight to come.

Sansa appeared as Arya continued to watch, correct stances and offer advice. Sansa looked rather miserable as Arya had finally convinced her sister that she needed to learn to use a weapon of some kind.

'I'm going to be awful,' Sansa grimaced as she stood in line to wait for a turn.

'You don't just become a good shot the first time you try,' Arya replied as she rolled her eyes behind her sister's back.

'She's right, it takes a lot of practise,' a dark haired young man, with blue eyes and a prominent chin had appeared.

'Who are you?' Arya asked rather rudely.

'Arya!' Sansa scolded her sister who again rolled her eyes.

'My names Erik,' he smiled. 'I came down with the Free Folk,' he explained. 'You're Sansa Stark,' he said as he looked at Sansa and then blushed horribly. 'Forgive me, Lady Sansa...I...I'm sorry...'

'It's quite alright Erik,' Sansa replied with a smile. 'This is my sister, Arya,' she indicated Arya who was standing beside her.

'I'm not a lady,' Arya said as she held out her hand to shake his. 'Are you any good and shooting?'

'I'm better with arrows than a sword,' Erik smiled sheepishly. 'I learned from one of the best. She died a while back but I learnt a lot.'

'Would you help my sister please?' Arya had a smug grin on her face now. 'She won't listen to me.' Sansa scowled at her sister.

'Ermm...of course if that is what you require,' Erik's speech stumbled slightly.

'Thank you,' Sansa replied. 'I'm sure you will have more patience with an absolute beginner than my sister.'

Arya gave a mocking bow and left to oversee the rest of archers, well trainee archers.

'When I said absolute beginner, I meant it,' Sansa looked worriedly to Erik who smiled warmly before looking down as he remembered who he was talking to.

'We need to get your stance correct,' he said to start. He tried to describe the way she had to stand but Sansa was struggling. 'May I?' Erik asked with a blush as his hands moved to her waist. Sansa nodded and felt herself tense slightly. She hadn't been touched by a man she didn't know well since Ramsay. She found his touch to be gentle as he manoeuvred her into the correct stance.

After a while Sansa found herself hitting the target on occasion. Erik explained that she kept collapsing her stomach muscles when she released the arrow and that was why so many of them were hitting the floor.

Her arms were hurting now, well had been for a while. She tried to shake them while Erik wasn't looking but he had noticed.

'That's enough for today, m'lady,' he smiled.

'No, I can do a bit more,' Sansa said as she reloaded her bow.

'Enough,' Erik said as he lowered the bow in her arms and took it from her. 'You're body isn't used to it and your muscles will be sore tomorrow. You won't achieve anything more today.'

'I haven't achieved anything,' Sansa mumbled under her breath.

'Yes you have,' Erik responded brightly. 'You actually managed to hit the target on your first day. That's really good!' Sansa felt herself blush slightly at the praise.

'Thank you Erik for being so patient,' she smiled back. A genuine smile for the first time in quite some time. Erik gave a short bow and disappeared to help someone else.

'How was your lesson?' Arya's voice startled Sansa.

'He was very patient and I managed to at least hit the target,' Sansa answered and then walked back into the castle.

Arya stood watching the tiring trainees. There was still a lot of work to do.

* * *

Edd was watching over the man who had so abruptly collapsed at the gate to Castle Black. He looked down at the raven he had received from Winterfell. His worst nightmare had been confirmed. The Wall had fallen at Eastwatch. The raven from Sansa Stark had told him about the destruction of the Wall as her brother Brandon Stark had seen it. Edd was now sure that the man before him would wake and tell him the same tale.

Sansa's raven was enough to convince him that it was true. He had met Brandon Stark and knew of the young man's abilities but the rest of the men would take more convincing. Edd knew that they were running out of time and Sansa was right that they should abandon the Wall and head south.

He would need more than a raven from the Lady of Winterfell to convince the men of the Night's Watch.

* * *

Jon moved down to the harbour and instantly recognised the first of Daenerys' ships which was about to dock. The three headed dragon made it hard to miss. Thankfully, it contained Unsullied soldiers who were rather more disciplined than the Dothraki.

Jon looked around him and saw the concerned faces of many residents and travellers at the sight before them. The army was about to disembark. The volume of murmuring was increasing and Jon looked to see Daenerys approaching looking stony faced.

The first ship docked and the Unsullied started to disembark in formation. Grey Worm was giving instructions in Valyrian as the soldiers moved from the ship onto land.

A loud scream was heard followed by more screams of distress. Panic was about to engulf White Harbour.

Jon looked around and realised that the Unsullied, though less threatening than the Dothraki, were an armed force and the people of White Harbour didn't know if they were friend or foe. Jon quickly moved over to the raised platform nearby and raised his hands to get the attention of the people.

'People of White Harbour, please do not panic,' he said loudly and clearly with an authoritative tone. In the distance he could see Daenerys approaching the platform and Grey Worm already trying to keep the Unsullied away from the crowds. 'These soldiers are not the enemy.'

'Who are you?'

'Yeah, who is he?'

'Why should we listen to you?'

'That's Jon Snow.'

'Ned Stark's son.'

'He's the King!'

'The King in the North.'

'King Jon!'

Jon raised his hands again and the voices stopped and the concerned looks all turned to him. Men, women, wide-eyed children, the young and the old were all staring back at Jon.

'I am Jon Snow...' Jon started.

'Told you..'

'I was right...'

'He is the King...'

'I am the King in the North,' Jon continued hoping to not be distracted by the murmurs. 'I assure you that these soldiers are of no threat to anyone here.'

'Then why are they here?'

'They came with **her**.'

'Targaryen...'

'Dragon...'

'They are Queen Daenerys' army,' Jon decided the truth would be best. 'She has not come here to invade. She has come as my ally and therefore as an ally of the North.'

Daenerys had made her way to the platform and Jon gave her a small nod to indicate that she should join him. Daenerys moved onto the platform and stood directly next to Jon.

'People of White Harbour and the North, I assure you that I have not come here to take away your lands,' Daenerys spoke loudly and clearly. Jon thought that she must have had a lot of practise. 'King Jon and I are allies and I am here to help.' Soft murmurs continued as the people tried to decide whether to believe her or not.

'Many of you will have heard the rumours by now,' Jon continued, 'and it is my unfortunate duty to tell you that the grave rumours are in fact true. The Wall has fallen at Eastwatch.'

'No!'

'Not possible...'

'Liar..'

'The Wall is huge...'

'It can't have fallen...'

'What could do that?'

'We're all going to die..'

'The Army of the Dead is real. I have seen them and fought them myself,' Jon continued hoping that his voice wasn't quivering as he delivered the devastating news.

'As have I,' Daenerys,' stated forcefully.

'My knowledge of the fate of the Wall comes from men I trust with my life.' Jon saw Tormund flick a smile towards him. 'We will be garrisoning at Winterfell to fight this army. Anybody who wishes to join us may do so. I urge you to move south if you have family or friends there and spread the word of what has happened. There is no need to panic but moving south in the next few days is advisable.'

'I would ask that you keep your distance from my Unsullied and especially my Dothraki soldiers for your own protection,' Daenerys knew that any incidents that occurred would be difficult to handle if they got out of control.

'Please remain calm and keep the streets as clear as possible so that the armies can move through quickly and efficiently,' Jon added as the people started to disperse. Jon felt him exhale a great sigh of relief as the people of White Harbour moved away talking amongst themselves.

'Nice speech,' Daenerys smiled at Jon.

'You too,' Jon replied with a chuckle.

Most of the day was filled by reassuring the residents and travellers of White Harbour while the ships were manoeuvred to let the Unsullied and Dothraki disembark. Every ship carried either food, other supplies or dragonglass which needed to be transported through the city to the camps. Daenerys had made a point of greeting the Dothraki on their ships to remind them of how to act properly now that they were in the North. Jon thought the Dothraki seemed very subdued and perhaps Daenerys' speeches were having an effect or maybe the Dothraki were just hating the cold.

Jon noticed that neither the Dothraki nor the Unsullied seemed to be happy in the cold temperatures. He worried that maybe some of the army would be lost just marching towards Winterfell but he kept the thought to himself.

'Your Grace,' Davos' voice startled Jon. 'A raven from your sister.'

Jon quickly tore open the direwolf seal and read Sansa's letter.

 _Jon,_

 _The Wall has fallen at Eastwatch. Bran saw it while 'warging?' and I have asked the lords and ladies to bring their armies to Winterfell. I hope you brought some more food with you as our stocks will be running low with the amount of people here. The dragonglass weapons are coming along well. Return as quickly as you can. Your sister, Sansa Stark._

'She knows,' Jon said as he passed the scroll to Davos.

'She's preparing, that's good,' Davos said gruffly.

Jon only hoped that all their forces would get to Winterfell in time.

* * *

 **A/N: I will try and get the next chapter up a bit quicker. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for being patient with the slow updates. I haven't had much time to update recently.**

 **Also, I read every comment and reply to the signed in comments (eventually) and enjoy reading all the guest comments too. It makes me happy to know this story is being enjoyed.**

 **Any major mistakes, let me know. Enjoy. :)**

* * *

Chapter 7

It was late and Davos couldn't sleep. He knew he should try but he just couldn't settle his mind with past and potential future events troubling him. Even Tormund had gone to bed although that may have been a necessity as the he had been rather drunk as he seemed to have found an ale that he liked. In the morning they would be leaving for Winterfell and Davos was uneasy about the journey ahead. The Unsullied and Dothraki did not look suited to the cold weather, even in their furs, and Davos was well aware of what had happened to Stannis' army when they couldn't cope. The Northerners were a different breed when it came to cold conditions. Jon had once told him about the summer snows that had come to Winterfell which had seemed rather strange to Davos at the time.

Davos wrapped his cloak around himself and ventured outside. He could easily distinguish the Dothraki, Unsullied and Northern tents in the moonlight and headed towards the Northern tents. There he would find men he was familiar with.

'Out so late Ser Davos,' Davos jumped and turned to see Varys lurking in the shadows.

'Couldn't sleep,' Davos mumbled. 'You?'

'My mind is a whir,' Varys replied enigmatically.

Davos and Varys moved into the open and away from the tents. They were now stood in the middle of a flat open space with no-one near. No-one to hear.

'What was all that 'bout Jon's mother?' Davos asked. He had been curious as to why Varys had brought up the subject but the day's events had distracted him until the calm of night had washed over him.

'Don't you think it is strange how the dragon reacted to him?' Varys asked simply as he looked up to winged shadows circling above them before the dragons landed a distance away from the camps.

'The man has died and been brought back to life, so not a lot surprises me when it comes to Jon,' Davos replied with a chuckle.

'Indeed.'

'You know more than you're saying,' Davos accused and stared at Varys.

'I **know** nothing, I hear only whispers,' Varys replied.

'And what do those whispers say?' Davos asked with a little impatience.

'They are whispers from long ago...forgotten...dismissed as only rumour,' Varys answered enigmatically.

'If you're not goin' to tell me, I'm goin' to go back,' Davos said with undisguised annoyance. Davos was a simple man who spoke plainly, fancy talk was never something he indulged in or liked listening to. Davos turned on heel but was stopped when Varys spoke.

'What do you know about Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark?' Varys asked pointedly.

'What everyone knows,' Davos turned back to Varys. 'He kidnapped her and raped her. She was supposed to marry Robert Baratheon. Robert killed Rhaegar at the Trident but Lyanna was found dead by her brother Ned Stark. Everyone knows that story.'

'Indeed...' Varys hummed. 'Yet...just because 'everyone knows' does not always make it the truth. We fashion lies and keep telling ourselves they are true until we finally believe it.'

'You know different?'

'I have heard different versions of many tales and I must determine which are true and which are false,' Varys replied cryptically. 'But often the truth does not serve the realm and could make things worse if revealed. In time I try to forget the 'other' tales but I never really do and now I have remembered whispers from over twenty years ago.'

'Concerning Jon?' Davos was hoping that Varys would get to the point sooner rather than later. The cold was starting to chill him now but Davos knew that this conversation would have to remain where no-one else could overhear them.

'Rhaegar was a good man,' Varys started his explanation, 'but he never loved his wife Elia, although he had affection towards her and she gave him a daughter and a son. A political marriage through and through. He did, however, love Lyanna Stark. Lyanna was already betrothed to Robert Baratheon, who was the heir to Storm's End, but my little birds told me that she was not enamoured with her future husband.' Davos gave a chuckle at that.

'They cared for each other then?' Davos asked already knowing the answer.

'It is my belief that they eloped together,' Varys continued. 'Robert was furious and said that Lyanna had been kidnapped and he therefore demanded her return. The Starks went to get Lyanna back and well...the Mad King...'

'Killed them,' Davos added bluntly.

'The rebellion started and it was said that Rhaegar and Lyanna were in Dorne,' Varys explained. 'A member of the King's Guard, Ser Arthur Dayne, was also said to be with them.'

'Ned Stark killed Ser Arthur Dayne but was too late to save his sister,' Davos had heard this story from Stannis but Stannis had always been surprised that Ned Stark and been able to kill the great swordsman. 'The Sword of the Morning' was a legendary fighter.

'So the story goes,' Varys confirmed. 'Ned Stark returned to Winterfell with his sister's body...'

'But?'

'He also held his bastard son in his arms,' Varys concluded. Davos' eyes widened as he realised exactly what Varys was implying.

'You're not suggestin'?' Davos was rapidly trying to make sense of everything he was being told.

'Ned Stark, even then, was known as an honourable man. The fact that he admitted to siring a bastard meant that nobody would question him. Who better to hide one of the greatest secrets in Westeros...a man nobody believed could lie?' Varys continued seemingly unaware of Davos' discomfort. 'I, of course, cannot prove anything as it is only whispers.'

'You believe that Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark?' Davos finally found the ability to speak again.

'Bastard son, yes.'

'That makes him the Queen's-'

'Nephew, although strangely he is a few months older,' Varys interrupted. 'The Iron Throne cannot be his as he is still a bastard, just not Ned Stark's, if I am right.'

'That won't go down well in the North,' Davos mumbled as his shock that the theory could actually be true subsided.

'This knowledge can never be repeated,' Varys said sternly. 'There is no proof except that the dragons have decided not to eat him and the green one has allowed the King in the North to ride him. That in itself is no proof at all. All those that could testify are dead and right now upsetting the balance we have would be a terrible mistake. A pit of chaos would await us at a time when we must be united.'

'I understand that,' Davos shook his head distractedly. 'We would have a nightmare on our hands. The only problem is that they are sleeping together.'

'Aunt and nephew...tame by Targaryen standards,' Varys said dismissively.

'That's not really the point,' Davos huffed. 'If Jon ever found out-'

'There is nothing to find out,' Varys interrupted. 'I have no proof and there is no point in worrying him about something we do not know to be true. Goodnight, Ser Davos.' Varys turned on his heel and purposefully walked away.

Davos stood alone for a moment and then looked towards the area where the dragons were sleeping. It had indeed been strange how the green dragon, Rhaegal, had reacted to Jon. Davos had seen Jon interact with Ghost and it felt similar, yet different, as he had watched the dragon and king. Stannis had always held Ned Stark in high regard and Davos knew that Ned Stark fathering a bastard had seemed strange to Stannis. Stannis had taken a liking to Jon, though the former king rarely showed his emotions, and had privately questioned who could have been Jon's mother. Stannis did not believe that Jon's mother had been a whore but no-one could prove otherwise as Ned Stark had stayed tight-lipped on the subject.

Davos sighed as he walked back towards the inn. He was rather wishing that he hadn't gone for a night time wander as now he felt he was keeping secrets from his King.

* * *

The mornings had become darker with every day that passed but the darkness was finally melting away. The Northmen took their place at the head of the armies with the snarling direwolf Stark banners leading the way. It had quickly been agreed that the few Northmen who had accompanied Jon should lead the forces as this was likely to reduce the potential for panic when the Unsullied and the Dothraki armies made their way through the Northern lands.

Jon and Daenerys along with their entourages were to follow behind the Stark men and in front of half the Unsullied forces while the other half would bring up the rear with the Dothraki in the middle. The carts carrying food, dragonglass and other supplies were to be dispersed throughout the train so that a particular area could not be targeted to destroy their supplies.

Daenerys had spoken to her forces and had told them that any attacks on the Northern villages they were passing was unacceptable and would be severely punished. She made it clear to the Dothraki that any raping or pillaging would be punishable by death. As if to emphasise that point the dragons had decided to fly low over the armies, just in case anyone had forgotten that they were there.

Jon had reservations about the Dothraki and whether or not these people could keep their urges in check but he knew he didn't have time to argue and hoped that the presence of Daenerys and the dragons would stop them from giving in.

Finally, the armies left White Harbour behind with many locals happy to wave them off. Jon felt a sense of unease as they started to make their way towards the Kingsroad.

Daenerys also felt a sense of unease. She hadn't expected a particularly warm welcome but she was starting to wonder whether Jon alone could stop the North from showing their hatred of her family. She knew that she was being blamed for her father's and brother's crimes which she felt was wholly unfair. She didn't want to discuss it with Jon as he would then worry more and he had more than enough to worry about.

One of the Stark men suddenly appeared and slotted in beside Jon.

'Your Grace, there are men approaching,' the soldier said pointing to Jon's left.

'How many?' Jon asked as he steered his horse in the direction the soldier was pointing. 'Are they flying banners?'

Jon's mind was a whir. It couldn't be the Lannister forces as they couldn't have marched this far north in time. He wondered whether it could perhaps be forces from Riverrun as Edumre Tully had taken back his home after the Frey's were killed. They hadn't received a reply when Sansa had reached out to her uncle but they would likely keep to the King's Road and wouldn't need to divert. Jon was still a few days from the King's Road.

Jon stirred as he looked towards the banners that were approaching quickly. The Merman of House Manderly. Jon let out a relieved sigh at the sight.

'Who are they?' Daenerys asked making Jon jump slightly as she appeared next to him.

'It's alright,' Jon gave a small smile as he turned to her. 'House Manderly.' Jon rode forward with Davos and Tormund in tow.

Daenerys tried to rack her brain. She knew House Manderly was a Northern house but it was also the furthest south if she remembered correctly.

'I believe Lord Manderly was one of the first to declare Jon 'King'' Tyrion said with a knowing smile as he stopped his horse beside her.

'Definitely not a problem then?' she asked hesitantly.

'No, Your Grace,' Brienne confirmed as she reined in her horse on the other side of Daenerys. 'House Manderly is truly loyal to the North and the Starks.

Jon rode towards the bannermen greeting them and immediately recognised Lord Manderly who had dismounted from his horse. Jon stopped a few feet away and dismounted himself.

'Lord Manderly,' Jon greeted the man warmly.

'My King,' Lord Manderly replied as he purposefully knelt before Jon as his entourage followed. Jon heard Tormund let out a soft chuckle. The Free Folk do not kneel.

Daenerys watched from a distance as she saw the man she assumed was Lord Manderly kneel, as did the rest of his men, before Jon. She was sure that this was as much for her benefit as Jon's. Jon was the King here and she was being reminded of that fact.

'Please stand,' Jon said with a hint of discomfort in his voice. Jon had never really liked the ceremony that came with being King as it made him uncomfortable. 'It is good to see you again my lord.'

'You have brought the reinforcements that you sought, Your Grace,' Lord Manderly boomed as he looked across to where Daenerys was and behind her he could see a large part of her vast armies.

'Queen Daenerys has also allowed me to mine the dragonglass that we so desperately need as well as bringing her armies to help our cause,' Jon said as he wanted one of the most influential Northern lord's to understand that Daenerys was an ally. Jon was hoping that if he could get Lord Manderly on side the other lords may be easier to convince.

'She has quite the force,' Manderly mumbled. At that moment the dragons chose to reappear causing the Manderly forces to look to the skies in horror.

Jon had to stifle his laugh at their reactions as he remembered how he and Davos had ducked the beasts on Dragonstone.

'They're real,' Manderly muttered with a mixture of fear and awe.

'Yes, they are,' Jon gave a small smile.

Daenerys watched as her children made their presence known. She decided to ride forward to the group in the hope that she could assure the men that her dragons would not harm any of them. As an afterthought she realised that Jon being there also made it unlikely.

'Lord Manderly,' she called out and realised that her earlier assumption had been correct as he turned to her. She dismounted her horse whose reins were quickly taken by Tormund and she stopped next to Jon. 'I assure you my dragons are of no threat to you.'

'You must be Queen Daenerys,' he said eyeing her silver, blonde hair. He gave a short nod of respect towards her but that was all. He looked up again and eyed the dragons who were circling a great distance above them.

'King Jon told me about the Army of the Dead and I have now seen it for myself,' Daenerys decided a charm offensive might be more helpful and making it clear that Jon was in charge in the North would make the Northern lords more likely to warm to her. 'We have to stand united against our common enemy.'

'Indeed, Your Grace,' Lord Manderly smiled before turning to Jon. 'Your sister has asked for all those that can fight to return to Winterfell. House Manderly will also take in some of the Northern refugees from Houses Umber and Karstark. She was rather insistent.'

Jon knew what Lord Manderly was getting at. Jon had ordered the training of all those able-bodied over the age of ten but hadn't thought that they would be needed so soon. Jon indicated for Lord Manderly to follow him away from his men. Jon also looked to Daenerys, Davos and Tormund in a bid for them to follow.

Once away from the Manderly men Jon spoke. 'I bring grave news my lord,' Jon started and looked at Tormund. 'The Wall has fallen at Eastwatch.'

Lord Manderly's eyes widened as he digested the news. 'How?' he asked in barely more than a whisper. Jon and Daenerys exchanged looks.

'I went north of the Wall to capture a wight to convince Cersei Lannister that the threat was real,' Jon explained. 'While there we encountered the Night King. I had a raven sent to Queen Daenerys-'

'And I flew north with my dragons to help them,' Daenerys concluded. 'I have seen the Army of the Dead and the Night King. He threw a spear of ice which took down one of my dragons, Viserion,' she finished with choke of grief.

'He raised the dragon from the dead,' Jon added.

'Blue flames took down the Wall and I was lucky that I was on the bit left standing,' Tormund concluded and Lord Manderly nodded towards the red-haired man.

'That's why there are only two dragons,' Lord Manderly finally spoke. 'The Night King can take down a dragon,' he added in disbelief.

'Which is why we must fight together,' Daenerys said as she saw some sympathy in the old man's eyes.

'Indeed, we must hurry to Winterfell to make our stand, Your Grace,' Lord Manderly suddenly seemed to find his strength once more.

'Would you mind if your men rode at the front alongside the Stark men? Makes the Northern force more noticeable and shows unity,' Davos asked knowing exactly what the lord's response would be.

'Of course, we must show a united North and House Manderly stands with House Stark!' the lord responded in his booming voice. 'And the allies of our King are our allies too,' he added with a nod to Daenerys before he gave a short bow to Jon and returned to his men, giving orders for them to move to the front of the armies.

'Well, that coulda gone worse,' Tormund chuckled.

'Aye,' Davos agreed. 'Unfortunately, I think Lord Manderly is one of the easier lords to sway as he is truly loyal to Jon.'

'Why can't they understand that I have come to help?' Daenerys snapped.

'Northmen are proud, but they aren't stupid,' Jon said calmly. 'They will need time though.'

'Time that we don't have,' Daenerys answered at the four of them walked back to their horses.

'Unfortunately,' Jon agreed.

* * *

Gilly was walking through the halls of Winterfell carrying some washing. She needed to feel useful and Sam was spending a lot of time with Bran Stark. She knew the boy had some magical powers of some kind but Sam had been different since the night they had arrived.

She deposited the dirty linen at the laundry and carried the empty basket back to her room. Arya Stark had told her that the room she had with Sam had once been Jon's old room and that had certainly made Sam feel better to be in some way close to his friend.

Gilly had left Little Sam with one of the younger serving girls as she tried to do something useful. Sitting still and lazing about wasn't something she was used to. In the Citadel she had made sure her room with Sam had been spotless but here there were servants for that.

She entered her room and her son gave her a beaming smile.

'Thank you for taking care of him,' she said to the girl she had left to watch him. The girl smiled and left with wave to Little Sam.

There was a knock at the door and Gilly manoeuvred her son in her arms so she could open the door. Little Sam was growing fast and she was starting to struggle to hold him one-handed. She opened the door to see Sansa stood on the other side.

'My lady,' Gilly said with an awkward curtsey which was made even more difficult while holding her son.

'Gilly, you don't have to call me that when we're alone,' Sansa smiled. 'Would you come to my room please? There is something I want to show you.'

'Of course,' Gilly replied. Gilly didn't know Sansa very well but she had been nice to her and Gilly knew that Jon was a good person. Sansa hadn't thought it was strange that Gilly and Sam wanted a room together even though they weren't married, even if she did she didn't show it. Arya had asked Gilly as much as she could about Jon when he had been at Castle Black but Bran unnerved her, especially as Sam was now spending a lot of time with him.

They entered Sansa's room and Gilly instantly recognised the large, white direwolf laid out in front of the fire. Ghost was massive now but Gilly wasn't afraid. She knew Ghost wouldn't harm her as she was Jon's friend.

'I think he took Jon seriously when Jon told him to look after me,' Sansa smiled when she saw Gilly watching the direwolf who had made no indication that he knew they were there.

'He's loyal to Jon,' Gilly replied with a smile as she put her son down on the floor. 'He saved me and Sam at Castle Black.'

Little Sam unsteadily walked across to Ghost before falling onto the side of the direwolf. Gilly let out a small gasp as did Sansa. Ghost slowly lifted his head to look at Little Sam. The boy showed no fear of the direwolf as Ghost stared back. Little Sam then sneezed sending his head crashing into Ghost's side and Gilly slowly started to approach the boy and wolf. Little Sam pushed himself up using Ghost for leverage and Ghost moved his head closer. Ghost's nose was inches from the boy's face when the boy giggled and Ghost licked the boy's face making him giggle even more.

Little Sam collapsed against the direwolf, leaning against Ghost's stomach and snuggling into the fur. Ghost watched the boy for a moment and then laid his head on the floor and closed his eyes.

Gilly let out a relieved sigh and a warm smile. Ghost seemed unperturbed by the little human sleepily snuggling into his fur and Gilly knew everything would be alright. She turned her attention back to Sansa.

'I made this for you,' Sansa held out a neatly folded garment as she watched Ghost lying still on the floor with a little boy lying on him.

'But...you didn't...I mean...' Gilly stammered.

'It's ok Gilly,' Sansa placed the garment in Gilly's hands. 'Winter is here and you need a new cloak. You and Sam are close to Jon and in truth sewing is relaxing for me.

'Thank you,' Gilly found her voice. 'It's beautiful,' she said as she unfurled the black cloak with grey fur detail.

'I made Jon's too,' Sansa said proudly as she sat on her bed.

'You're very good at it,' Gilly said honestly.

'I was also wondering whether you know what Sam and Bran are doing,' Sansa said looking concerned.

'I don't know but Sam won't talk about it,' Gilly frowned. 'I think it has something to do with Jon but Sam won't tell me.'

'Bran won't say anything either,' Sansa sighed.

'Is it true, that the Wall's gone?' Gilly asked but she already knew the answer.

'Bran says so, and he can see things he shouldn't be able to,' Sansa said in a resigned voice.

'But Jon is coming back with the Dragon Queen?'

'Yes, I believe so. He should have arrived at White Harbour by now so we should receive a raven in a few days,' Sansa sighed again.

'Then it'll be ok,' Gilly said with an air of confidence.

'Will it?' Sansa asked betraying her fear. The threat was a terrible one and with the Wall gone there was no protection now, for anyone.

'Sam says Jon needs to lead the battle against the dead and I believe him,' Gilly said simply. 'Jon's coming back with dragonglass, the Dragon Queen's armies and dragons! He has a sword that kills White Walkers. Sam wants to help Jon in any way he can. That's why we came back.'

Sansa wished she had Gilly's belief that everything would be ok. Jon had bent the knee to Daenerys and that had truly angered her. Now Gilly explained things so simply, perhaps that really was Jon's only option. They needed the dragonglass, they needed Daenerys' armies and they need her dragons. Perhaps, most of all, they needed Jon but Sansa was still angry with him for giving away the North.

* * *

 **A/N: I do believe that Varys would know that Rhaegar and Lyanna eloped together. He would surely have heard rumours and Littlefinger also appeared to know some of the truth. I didn't think it would take long for him to work it out but he has no evidence.**

 **The scene with Ghost and Little Sam came from a story my mother told me. I was only just able to toddle and we were at a friends house who had Lurcher dogs (like Greyhounds) and I accidently stood on Suzie's tail (massive dog compared to me) who was lying in front of the fire. My mum said she was instantly worried Suzie would attack me as Suzie bared her teeth but then saw me and stopped. Once I moved off her tail she tucked her tail under so I couldn't do it again and I promptly fell on her side. Suzie just licked my face and kept watching me. I think Ghost would understand too. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks again for the reviews as well as the favourites and follows. I'm glad the Ghost scene went down well. We haven't seen enough of him in the show. :)  
**

 **As always any major errors please let me know.**

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Chapter 8

Theon could see Pyke looming in the distance in the moonlight. As the ship approached he had started to feel uneasy as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Something wasn't right. He knew that Euron had returned home to escape the looming threat of the White Walkers rather than help to face the danger. That was typical of his deranged uncle but Theon also knew that though his uncle was mad, he was not stupid.

A smattering of ships could be seen on the coastline but a closer inspection showed that the ships were being repaired and there weren't enough for Euron's fleet. Nowhere near. Theon's heart sank as he realised that Euron was not hiding on the Iron Islands as previously thought. This meant that Yara was unlikely to be there either. The crew watched for sentries but the Islands were almost deserted. Carefully the ship docked and Theon's crew disembarked as silently as possible. The crew members muttered about how empty the land was as they made their way towards the castle unnoticed.

Once they arrived at the castle they were greeted by a pair of young women with dark brown hair, who looked terrified at the men approaching them.

'Who are you?' the first woman asked with terror stricken on her face. Theon did not recognise her.

'I'm Theon Greyjoy,' Theon answered. 'We will not hurt you. What is your name?'

'My name is Sarah,' she answered after a moment of thought. 'This is my sister, Jynette,' she added indicating the young woman next to her.

'We will not hurt you,' Theon repeated as the young women trembled before him. 'Where is Euron?'

'I don't know,' Sarah answered quietly as she stared at her feet.

'Has he been back here recently?' Theon could feel his own fear rising again. He already knew the answer but confirmation would mean that he wouldn't know where to look for his sister next.

'No,' Sarah vigorously shook her head. 'The last time he was here he took all the men he could to fight. Some of those that resisted were left in the cells to starve.' Sarah clamped her hand over her mouth in shock as she realised what she had said.

'My uncle said you weren't to tell anyone, didn't he?' Theon asked gently seeing her distress. Sarah nodded.

'We've been taking food to them,' Jynette spoke for the first time. 'We don't have much but we couldn't let them starve.'

'Euron will punish us for this,' Sarah blurted out. 'Our brother is one of them.'

'Why didn't you free them?' one of Theon's crew members asked.

'It's sealed,' Jeanette mumbled.

'So how do you get the food to them?' Theon asked.

'There's a small hole on the outside of one of the cells,' Sarah explained. 'Just enough to get food through and they share it out.'

'We need to get those men out of the cells,' Theon says to his men. 'How many are there?'

'About twenty,' Sarah answered.

'What about Euron?' one of his men asked.

'Euron isn't here and I doubt he's coming back anytime soon. He obviously had other plans with Cersei,' Theon said regretfully. He had no idea where he was supposed to look for Yara next. 'We need to get those men out of the cells.'

The men moved to comply while Theon pondered his next move.

* * *

Euron could see the harbour in the distance. His ship carried the gold that had been taken from Highgarden by the Lannister forces. Gold he would use to buy the Golden Company for Cersei and then the Lion Queen would be his. She thought she held the power over him but soon she would find out that he was the strong one. The one-handed Kingslayer would be of no help to her and Euron intended for a long and painful death to befall the once great knight. The thought brought him much joy indeed.

Euron disembarked about an hour later and made his way to brothel they had agreed to meet in. The gold remained on the ship with his men and Euron's men did not want to anger their captain by losing it. The price would certainly be high and death would be more favourable if the gold was touched.

Euron walked into the brothel with a malicious grin on his face with four of his own men behind him.

'I am looking for Harry Strickland!' he announced and loudly with a devilish grin. 'The man in charge of the Golden Company.'

Harry Strickland stirred as he heard his name reverberating around the room. The woman on his lap no longer held his attention as he turned to see the new arrival. He knew who this man was and his reputation. Euron Greyjoy was not a man he wanted to ally with.

'Where are you?' Euron called in a sing-song voice. 'Why are you hiding?'

'I do not hide,' Harry Strickland stood as he pushed the whore away from him. 'What do you want Greyjoy?'

'So you know who I am!' Euron cackled. 'My reputation scares you...and it's all true!' Euron walked towards Harry with a spring in his step.

'What do you want?' Harry repeated as he stood his ground.

'To buy you, of course,' Euron grinned. 'I mean buy your services for a contract for Queen Cersei of House Lannister, my future wife.'

'Why should I take a contract from you or your Queen Cersei?' Harry asked. He really wanted to get away from Euron. 'She battles the Dragon Queen who has...well...dragons.'

'Gold and lots of it,' Euron shrugged as if it was obvious. 'That and the fact I will torture you and your men until you agree. You will still get your gold, of course, and once you sign a contract you never break it.' Euron's eyes were menacing leaving Harry in no doubt that Euron was telling the truth.

A cloaked figure watched from the shadows as Harry Strickland was forced to sign a contract he would never complete.

* * *

The march north was beginning to make everyone grouchy. The cold wind was biting but so far the snow had stayed away, much to everyone's relief. The Unsullied were marching silently and hiding their grumbles but the Dothraki were making it clear at every possible opportunity that they were not made for the cold weather.

Daenerys had disappeared for a short while to rally the Dothraki who looked woefully out of place in their furs. Jon had ventured back towards the Dothraki and heard Daenerys speaking in their language. He had no idea what she was saying to them but it did seem to lift their spirits as they cheered for their Khaleesi. He could only hope that she could find a way to keep them together as they still had many days march before they would reach Winterfell.

Jon startled slightly when one of the Dothraki men pointed at him and said something that Jon didn't understand causing the man beside him to laugh and reply. The men had long braids which meant they had won many fights without defeat, or so Daenerys had explained. Kauko was smirking when he answered the men. Daenerys and Jorah were failing to hide their smiles at the conversation they could understand.

'I don't want to know, do I?' Jon asked with a sigh as Daenerys approached.

'They said... they said you are too small to be a Khal,' Daenerys chuckled.

'But Kauko defended you and said the pale men think you are a good fighter,' added Jorah.

'Let me guess, they don't think that I could beat them,' Jon stated knowing that must be what was said. To be honest he didn't really want to find out.

'Well...yes,' Daenerys said giving the impression she wasn't letting Jon know the full story. Jon decided not to ask.

Kauko's irritation seemed to be growing as the Dothraki men continued to speak and Jon could only assume it was about him. Kauko then angrily shouted at the men causing arkahs to be drawn. Jon did pick up one word though, 'Rhaegal', as Kauko pointed to the sky. Jon wondered if the dragons could sense when they were being talked about as Rhaegal flew above them at the mention of his name.

Daenerys called out to the men and the arkahs were placed back in their belts. She pointed to Rhaegal as she spoke and the Dothraki looked surprised and mumbled to each other while looking at Jon.

Jon wished to escape the scrutiny as soon as possible and was wishing that he hadn't moved from his position to follow Daenerys. Jon turned to Daenerys who was smiling.

'They said that at least you could ride a horse without falling off,' she said without prompt. 'Kauko told them that my green dragon allowed you to ride him. I confirmed it.'

'I'm not sure how much I want that getting out,' Jon said uneasily as Daenerys frowned. 'I think it was a one-off thing.'

'I don't think so,' she replied as her brow furrowed in thought.

Jon turned to see the man who had been mocking had steered his horse closer.

'Khal,' was all he said. Jon responded with a nod and the man nodded and smiled back before returning to his former position.

'Time to go?' Jon asked as he steered his horse away. He wanted to get away from being ridiculed for a while.

* * *

The tents had been set up as they camped for the night. The air temperature had significantly dropped as the sun had set and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The breeze was light but still very cold. Many of the men were sharing tents and Jon couldn't help but laugh when he realised Tormund, Davos, Gendry and the Hound were having to share. Gendry might find himself being educated in the best way to seduce women once Tormund had been drinking a while. The thought made Jon chuckle under his breath at Tormund's advice to him.

Jon found himself in his own tent as Davos had pointed out that being the King in the North it would perhaps be unwise for him to share with his men. Personally, Jon couldn't have cared less but he supposed appearances had to be maintained. He even had a cot to sleep on rather than a fur on the ground. A luxury for certain.

He added some wood to the brazier that was helping to stave of the chill and poured himself some ale. How in the seven hells had he ended up here? Why was it now his responsibility to lead this army against their greatest enemy?

He heard a knock on the wooden post next to the flap of cloth that represented a door.

'Enter,' Jon said briskly.

'Forgive me, Your Grace. I can come back later. It's not important,' Gendry rambled as he turned to leave.

'Gendry,' Jon called and the young man turned to him. 'It's ok. What is it?'

'Err...well...I need to speak to you Jon, I mean Your Grace...I...I,' Gendry stumbled. Jon was curious as what had made the young man so nervous. In the short time he had known Gendry the man had not struck him as the nervous type.

'Sit down,' Jon said gently, indicating the cot. Jon filled a second mug with ale and handed it to Gendry and sat down. 'Now, does what you need to tell me need to be said to Jon or the King in the North?'

Gendry gulped down some ale before he answered. 'Jon.'

'Ok,' Jon prodded when Gendry said no more. 'Whatever it is I'm unlikely to be angry if that's what you're worried about.'

'You might be,' Gendry said looking at his knees.

'Best to just say it then,' Jon said kindly. He seriously doubted that Gendry could tell him anything that would make him angry.

'Where to start,' Gendry huffed.

'The beginning usually helps,' Jon smiled as reassuringly as he could. Gendry gave a half-smile back.

'I told you that I met your father at the forge,' Jon nodded even though it wasn't a question. 'I realise now that he must have known...who I was.'

'It seems likely,' Jon agreed.

'Master Mott had looked after me for so long but after your father was executed he sold me to the Night's Watch,' Gendry continued. 'I thought I must have done something wrong. Why else would he sell me like that?'

'He was protecting you,' Jon said quietly as he sipped his ale.

'I realise that now,' Gendry sighed. 'He must have known the truth.' Jon was wondering where this was going.

'He knew that you were King Robert's son and tried to help you escape,' Jon surmised and Gendry nodded. Gendry was grateful that Jon had used the word 'son' instead of 'bastard'.

'I went with Yoren who was one of the Night's Watch,' Gendry finished his ale and Jon refilled the mug.

'I knew him,' Jon said trying to remember Yoren. 'Not well, but he was a bit of a character.'

'True,' Gendry agreed. 'With me were some of the men he had taken from the dungeon's as well as some young boys. They were Lommy, a fat one we called Hot Pie and a small boy named Arry. We were leaving King's Landing when the Gold Cloaks came looking for me. Yoren refused to tell them anything but Arry thought they were after him.'

Jon was starting to see where this story may have been going but he remained silent.

'The truth is...I'd known from the beginning that Arry was really a girl,' Gendry said looking directly at Jon. 'She told me her name was Arya Stark. She had thin sword that she kept close to her. She called it-'

'Needle,' Jon smiled broadly for the first time. His little sister had managed to keep hold of the gift he had given her.

'I may have angered her slightly when I insisted she was a lady,' Gendry laughed.

'What did she do? Kick you in the shins? That used to be her favourite way of showing her displeasure,' Jon smiled.

'She pushed me over!' Gendry smiled at the memory. 'When she talked about her family...she talked about you the most.' Jon remained silent and stared into his ale. 'Yoren was killed and we were captured by Lannister soldiers. Arya lost her sword. They took us to Harrenhall where they were looking for the Brotherhood Without Banners. They were torturing people until Tywin Lannister appeared.'

'Tywin Lannister?' Jon was shocked here his sister had been so close to such an awful man.

'Yep, Tywin Lannister,' Gendry confirmed. 'He realised that Arya was a girl straight away and even made her his cup bearer. She told me that he knew that she wasn't who she said she was but he had no idea who she actually was.'

'If he had then he would have used her like Sansa,' Jon said bitterly, secretly thankful that Tywin had never found out the truth.

'He never knew,' Gendry sipped his ale again. 'We escaped Harrenhall only to be found by the Brotherhood. The Hound killed Beric before Thoros brought him back. Arya hated the Hound because he had killed her friend.' Jon's brow furrowed as he realised that the Hound had never mentioned Arya even though he had spent a lot of time with her according to Brienne, neither had Beric nor Thoros. 'Then...'

'Go on,' Jon prodded gently.

'Thoros and Beric decided to take Arya to Riverrun and get a reward for returning her to her mother and brother,' Gendry said rapidly as if he didn't dare say it any slower.

'Hoster Tully's funeral,' Jon muttered. That was the only reason why Robb and Lady Catelyn would have been there.

'She asked me to go with her,' Gendry deflated and started staring into the bottom of his mug. 'But...I told her I would stay with the Brotherhood. I didn't have anywhere else to go really and...'

'You wouldn't have had a place if you had gone with her,' Jon realised why Gendry was upset.

'You understand that don't you,' Gendry quickly continued. 'I had no place once Arya was back with her family. I would perhaps have been thanked and then maybe given a place as a smith but it wouldn't be like it was before and she didn't realise that.' Gendry was sure his voice sounded pitiful as he tried to justify why he would have left Arya.

'I understand Gendry,' Jon said reassuringly.

'In the end it didn't matter because Beric and Thros sold me to a red priestess called Melisandre,' Gendry mumbled under his breath as Jon frowned at the mention of the red priestess. 'I'll never forget how angry Arya was with me. She said she was my family and in a way that's true, because I had no other family, but I knew it wouldn't have been like she wanted,' Gendry continued unaware of Jon's frown. 'I don't know what happened to her.'

'She's alive,' Jon said as Gendry bolted straight up.

'How?'

'I don't know, I guess we'll have to ask her when we get to Winterfell,' Jon said with a warm smile. He was truly looking forward to seeing his little sister again.

'She's alive...and at Winterfell?' Gendry stuttered looking tense. 'I didn't dare ask.'

'She'll be happy to see you, I'm sure of it,' Jon saw Gendry half-smile at the statement. 'From what Brienne told me she spent a fair bit of time with the Hound. He hasn't mentioned it and, to be honest, I'd rather hear it from her.'

'You honestly think she won't hate me?' Gendry asked clearly showing his worry that Arya would still be angry.

'I'm sure of it,' Jon replied. After a moment's silence Jon spoke again. 'What happened with Melisandre?' Jon saw Gendry tense and added, 'Whatever happened, I don't blame you.'

'You know her then?' Gendry asked warily as Jon nodded. 'She bought me off Beric and Thoros and told me who I was. She said there was power in king's blood.' Gendry hesitated.

'Go on,' Jon prompted knowing he probably wasn't going to like what Gendry had to say.

'She used leeches to take blood from me,' Gendry said quietly. 'Stannis dropped them in the flames and said...'

'Said what?'

'Three names.'

'Which names?' Jon asked dreading the answer. Davos had been sketchy as to why Melisandre had needed Gendry, only telling Jon that Gendry was Robert Baratheon's son and that Melisandre intended to sacrifice him to the Lord of Light.

'Joffrey Baratheon, Balon Greyjoy and...and,' Gendry was sure Jon would explode, 'and Robb Stark.' Gendry looked up to see Jon frowning.

'Melisandre has power that is certain,' Jon reflected but whether your blood in the flames made any difference I cannot say. Joffrey was vile, Balon Greyjoy wasn't popular either and Robb...Robb made a big mistake in going against his word.'

'I'm sorry,' Gendry said earnestly. 'I don't know if Melisandre caused you brother's death but I am sorry for it.'

'Thank you,' Jon felt a tinge of grief at the thought of his lost brother. 'How did she get the blood?' Jon asked curiously and Gendry flushed red at the question. 'She tried to seduce you didn't she?' Jon asked knowing the answer.

'She didn't try, she succeeded!' Gendry exclaimed going even brighter red making Jon laugh. 'How did you know?'

'She tried the same with me,' Jon smirked.

'But you didn't...?'

'No, I was somewhat grieving at the time. Maybe she would have succeeded at another time,' Jon smiled. 'She's also the one who brought me back.'

Gendry turned looking surprised. 'Like Thoros did with Beric?'

'Aye.'

'Tormund said something about that but some of his stories are ridiculous so I stopped listening,' Gendry said offhandedly. 'Where is she?'

'No idea but she's far away from me,' Jon sighed and saw Gendry's puzzled expression. 'Davos wanted her dead for burning Shireen Baratheon alive.'

'The princess? Why?'

'King's blood,' Jon replied shortly. 'I didn't know that until after she had brought me back. I couldn't have her stay at Winterfell but I could hardly kill her when I was only alive because of her. I sent her away I don't know where she went, nor do I care.'

Gendry realised their conversation was over so he stood and handed Jon his empty mug.

'Thank you for the ale and for listening,' Gendry felt a weight lifted form him.

'You can always talk to me Gendry and it was good to hear that you were with Arya for as long as you were,' Jon said gratefully. 'Thank you for looking after her.'

'To be honest I think she looked after us,' Gendry grinned making Jon laugh.

'Aye.'

'At least Melisandre did one good thing,' Gendry said looking Jon in the eye. 'She brought you back.' Gendry turned and left the tent leaving Jon alone once more.

* * *

Arya couldn't sleep. Not that she slept much anymore but tonight she couldn't calm herself at all. She had taken back her old room as it had felt familiar, it felt like home. Except home needed family and as far as she was concerned there was still once person missing.

She made her way down to the main hall with a stop off at the kitchens. She found some slightly stale bread and a small amount of cheese and moved to the hall to eat them. The hall always had a fire going and she had often found her father there when he couldn't sleep. She missed him so much as well as her mother and Robb and Rickon. So much had changed. She smiled as she saw Ghost sprawled out in front of the fire and then added a log herself.

'Hey, Ghost,' she said as she moved a chair next to the fire. 'You have a fur coat and you're looking for heat. It must be cold.' Ghost lifted his head, stood and moved closer to Arya before lying down again. His head was level with her knees and he sniffed at the bread and cheese.

'My food,' she said playfully as Ghost stared back at her. 'You miss him too, don't you?' she asked and Ghost cocked his head to the side which she took to be a 'Yes'. 'Come on Jon, where are you?' she asked the empty room as if hoping Jon would suddenly appear.

'Can't sleep,' Arya didn't jolt as Sansa entered the room and moved another chair towards the fire. Sansa bent down to stroke Ghost before she settled in her chair.

'He's coming back Arya,' Sansa said after a few moments of silence that were only punctuated but Arya's chewing. 'He'll be home soon.'

'I won't believe it until I see him,' Arya muttered through a mouthful of bread. Sansa smiled at her sister whose table manners hadn't improved.

'We'll get a raven soon telling us that he made it to White Harbour,' Sansa tried again to convince her sister that Jon would soon be home.

'Do you know how close I got to mother and Robb?' Arya suddenly asked.

'What d'you mean?' Sansa asked sitting up straighter in her chair.

'I was there...at the Twins,' Arya explained. 'I saw what they did to Robb.' Sansa gasped involuntarily at her sister's words.

'You saw?' Sansa asked disbelievingly.

'I saw Robb's body tied to his horse with Greywind's head where Robb's should have been,' Arya said with a disturbing lack of emotion. 'I was so close to being back with my family...so you'll forgive me for not believing Jon will return until he stands inside these walls.'

'I'm sorry you had to see that,' Sansa said quietly. 'It was bad enough for me hearing what had happened but for you to see it.' Sansa shook her head. 'The Boltons are dead though and so are the Freys.'

'I know,' Arya shrugged as she chewed her cheese. 'You and Jon took care of the Boltons and I took care of the Freys.'

' **You** did that?' Sansa wasn't as surprised as she thought she would be at that news.

'Slit Walder Frey's throat myself,' Arya gave a small smile. 'Poisoned the rest. Leave one wolf alive and the sheep are never safe.'

'We are the wolves of Winterfell,' Sansa stated strongly making Arya smile. Sansa had been the one who wanted to escape Winterfell and her family but now she was holding them as closely as she could.

'Our packs not quite whole yet,' Arya looked down at Ghost who appeared to be listening to the conversation as his ears were noticeably pricked.

'No it isn't,' Sansa agreed. 'We need all the Starks together now.'

'You never used to call Jon a Stark,' Arya said without any accusation her voice as she stated the truth.

'No. I followed mother in that regard,' Sansa sighed. 'But when I thought everyone else was lost it was only Jon I could turn to. I feared for a moment that he would reject me. That would be my punishment for not embracing him like the rest of you.'

'That's not Jon,' Arya stated confidently as Sansa smiled at her sister.

'No. That's not Jon,' Sansa agreed. 'When I saw him...I saw only my brother. He looked older and had scars. At first I couldn't see him and I was terrified that I was truly alone. And then there he was. He was shocked to see me and I don't think he knew quite how to react. Neither did I to be honest. I just ran towards him and I finally felt safe when he wrapped his arms around me.'

'You know I'm probably going to jump at him when he gets he back,' Arya grinned. 'It won't be ladylike.'

'So...throw yourself at him and I'm sure he won't care what people think,' Sansa smirked. 'You're not exactly a lady anyway.'

'True,' Arya laughed. She undid Needle from her belt. 'You know he gave me this?' she held Needle out so Sansa could take it.

'He had this made for you? But when?' Sansa asked trying to rack her brain.

'Before we left,' Arya looked smug. 'Father found it but I didn't tell him Jon gave it to me. I reckon father worked that out to be honest. My dancing lessons were sword fighting lessons.'

'Well that explains all of the bruises,' Sansa sighed with a laugh as she handed the sword back.

'I lost it but found it again,' Arya looked at the blade with a tinge of sadness. 'Needle reminded me of my family. All of my family. With the Faceless Men I was supposed to throw away everything that made me Arya Stark. I threw everything but this. I couldn't truly throw away my family.'

'I'm still angry at Jon for bending the knee,' Sansa said with annoyance. 'There are rumours going around that he has and that could cause chaos.'

'We can't judge what he did. He must have felt it was the right thing to do as the Dragon Queen is coming with her armies and dragons,' Arya reasoned. 'Whether we like it or not, we need them.'

'Do I confirm it or keep lying though?' Sansa asked with exasperation. 'Jon may return to find the North gone.'

'Leave him to deal with it,' Arya advised. 'But we have to stand by him.' Sansa nodded.

'Lady Stark,' a voice broke the sister's reverie. 'I have a raven here. I think it's from Jon,' Sam said as he came in. 'I was doing some research and it came in so I thought maybe I should find you and I heard you talking,' Sam babbled.

'It's ok Sam,' Sansa said reassuringly. Sansa liked Sam but often the man was shy around her and she suspected he had hoped to find Jon at Winterfell. She took the scroll and noticed the direwolf seal.

'You're worried about Jon, aren't you?' Sam said quietly. Ghost moved over towards Sam who fished some meat out of the basket he was carrying and tossed it at Ghost's feet. The direwolf ate greedily

'You're not scared of him?' Arya asked looking slightly surprised. Other than herself she had only seen Sansa interact with Ghost. Most people gave the direwolf a wide berth and in turn the direwolf didn't bother them.

'No,' Sam smiled. 'He's helped me out a few times just like Jon. Don't worry about Jon. I've been worrying about him for years. He always comes back and from what Bran told me, he comes back from the dead as well.' Neither sister reacted to the news confirming to Sam that they already knew.

'Jon knows about the Wall,' Sansa said as she read Jon's raven. 'I was right to send summons to Last Hearth and Karhold as well as Castle Black. He says that he 'looks forward to seeing us all' and...wait a minute...'

'What?' Arya asked suddenly concerned.

'He's signed it King in the North,' Sansa handed the scroll to Arya who snatched it quickly and read it as fast as she could.

'Have you got the other one?' Arya asked as Sansa produced it from her cloak. She had taken to carrying it around so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Arya read it and then threw it in the fire.

'Arya!' Sansa shouted looking surprised.

'Now there is no evidence and the most recent raven says that Jon is King in the North,' Arya said rapidly. 'The lords can't contest that.'

'She's right,' Sam agreed. 'Perhaps the Dragon Queen has realised that Jon being in charge in the North is best for now. She has dragons and could burn this place down if she wanted to. The North is more likely to be less hostile towards her if Jon is still in charge.'

'Let's hope he gets back soon,' Sansa muttered under her breath as she stroked Ghost who was now laying at her feet.

* * *

 **A/N: To be honest I wasn't really sure what to do with the Theon and Euron parts which is why they are a bit weak. I don't know much about Harry Strickland so if anybody has any tips they will be gratefully received.**

 **The Jon and Gendry scene I felt was needed as we didn't see it in the show. It was something that bugged me that no-one mentioned Arya at all when we had Gendry, Thoros, Beric and the Hound who had all known her and said nothing to Jon.**

 **I hope you are all still enjoying it. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I didn't realise how many chapters I'd gone without Jon and Dany together so hopefully those of you waiting for a scene with them will be happy with this chapter and there will be more to come.**

 **Just be warned that there is some swearing.**

 **I hope you enjoy it. :)**

* * *

Chapter 9

Beric Dondarrion finally woke as he looked around the room. He wasn't sure how long he had lain there but something told him it had been a while. His body was stiff from disuse and his stomach felt both hungry and sick. The door opened and a man dressed in black walked in. At least that meant he had made it to Castle Black.

'You're awake,' the man said with a tone of surprise. 'I'll fetch the Lord Commander,' he said and disappeared.

Moments later Lord Commander Edd walked into the room with a grim look on his face.

'I need to tell you something urgent,' Beric started.

'The Wall has fallen at Eastwatch,' Edd interrupted as he studied the man in front of him.

'How...how did you know?' Beric stammered slightly.

'Got a raven from Winterfell,' Edd said as he moved a chair closer to the bed and sat down. 'Seems Bran Stark saw it and we got a raven from his sister Sansa.'

'We have to go south to Winterfell,' Beric said as he tried to move out of bed while he pondered the statement about Bran Stark. Edd pushed him back and poured some water from a jug at the side of the bed and handed the mug to Beric.

'She said the same thing,' Edd said tiredly. 'The men don't believe it. None of them have seen the Army of the Dead but I have. They won't leave here because they are afraid of being labelled deserters and think it is a trick if we go to Winterfell. Their loyalty is being tested and what not.' Edd shook his head disbelievingly.

'But we need to leave as soon as possible,' Beric urged.

'I know,' Edd sighed. 'When you're ready I will need you to speak to them. They're scared but we need to move.' Edd stood just as another man entered with some food. 'Eat then I'll come and find you,' he said before he left.

Beric waited for Edd to return and managed to dress on his own although his body protested the movement. He tried to think of what he was going to say. How could he convince these men that there was no point in staying in Castle Black and that Winterfell was their only option?

Edd returned soon enough and led him to the council room. Beric looked around and saw that at most there were fifty men in black as well as some wildlings dressed in furs. Most looked worried and scared and Beric dreaded relaying the news that the Army of the Dead had managed to breach the Wall.

'I'm afraid I bring grave news-' Beric started.

'Who the hell are you?' one young man interjected rudely.

'I am Ser Beric Dondarrion,' Beric answered.

'Why should we listen to you?' another man asked with a mixture of fear and anger in his voice.

'Because I was at Eastwatch when the Wall fell,' Beric answered simply. Silence engulfed the room. 'We must move south to Winterfell. That is where the stand will be made.'

'The Wall can't fall. It's a lie!' a third man exclaimed in fear.

'Listen you idiot,' Edd finally made his presence known. 'This man saw the Wall fall. We are no use here anymore. Going south is all we can do.'

'We'll be labelled deserters!' the second man declared.

Edd stood with an angry look on his face. 'Jon Snow was once my brother here and he will always remain my brother. He will not label us deserters and he rules the North. His sister, Sansa Stark, sent a raven telling us to go to Winterfell and that is likely what Jon would want us to do.'

'But we don't know that!'

'Maybe he wants us to stay here!'

'I'm scared. I don't want to die!'

'We can't leave the Wall. It's in our vows.'

'I say we go to Essos not Winterfell.'

'Fuck this!'

A loud bang resounded around the room as one of the Wildlings had thumped a large axe into a table causing the table to collapse.

'Listen you bunch o' snivelling boys,' the Wilding spoke in a gruff voice. 'We 'ave to fight together. That means we all need t' be in the same place. No point standin' on a Wall that has already let the enemy past. You say you defend the realm but how d'you do that when you cower away from the enemy?'

Silence once again stifled the room.

'Our only option is to go to Winterfell with all the supplies we can take,' Edd said firmly. 'Have there been any ravens this morning? Has anybody checked?'

'I'll go,' one of the younger brothers said as he ran out the door.

'We stay here we are most likely dead anyway,' Edd leant on the table in front of him. 'We are abandoning Castle Black.' Murmurs resumed around the room but there were no loud protests.

The young brother came running back in holding a scroll and quickly approached.

'Please tell me that has a bloody direwolf on it,' he said mainly to himself but most of the room heard him. Edd turned the scrolled to see a direwolf stamp which he ripped eagerly and read the message.

 _Edd,_

 _The Wall has gone at Eastwatch. Gather the men and strip Castle Black. Bring all the food and weapons you can and head for Winterfell._

 _Jon._

Edd smiled a half-hearted smile and lay the message out on the table before him.

'Strip the Castle of all the weapons, food and find the books on the Long Night in the library,' he said quietly yet firmly as Beric read the scroll over the Lord Commander's shoulder. 'We leave nothing behind and we head for Winterfell. The former Lord Commander and now King in the North commands it.'

Edd paused for a moment as he looked around the room. He pointed to the scroll on the table. 'Now who wants to defy Jon Snow?'

* * *

The days were starting to muddle together for Daenerys as she rode her horse through the sometimes snow covered ground while sometimes it was icy where the snow had melted and re-frozen. On this day the skies were vivid blue and the sun shone brightly but the cold still seeped into her bones. Jon seemed somewhat unaffected by the cold and she envied him. She glared across to where Jon was riding with Lord Manderly and Lord Manderly's granddaughters for company. The old lord seemed to push them in front of Jon at every opportunity and it was beginning to annoy her. As was her lack of time and contact with Jon as they did their best to show that their alliance was only that. She wasn't sure whether they were fooling anyone anyway.

She knew the Dothraki and the Unsullied were struggling and they had been forced to burn the bodies of twenty-two Dothraki who had frozen to death in the middle of the night and many more seemed to be falling sick with the cold. She felt the Dothraki were becoming more and more uncertain about travelling north for the battle that would take place in the snow and freezing temperatures that they were unaccustomed to.

Just to make things worse there was something wrong with Rhaegal. He was despondent and not eating. She had noticed the body of a deer of some sort next to her green dragon which had been left untouched. It seemed that Drogon had noticed too as he kept moving the body closer to his brother who kept refusing to eat.

'Don't worry, he's not interested,' Tormund's voice brought her out of her thoughts. She wondered when the red-haired wildling had gotten so close to her. Though he was gruff and looked slightly wild she had come to like him.

She looked across at Jon again and noticed that he was drawing closer to Ser Davos and further away from the Manderlys. 'I believe Lord Manderly is trying to make one of his granddaughters Queen in the North,' she replied.

Tormund chuckled at her statement. 'He can try all he wants but it won't happen.'

Daenerys looked over to Jon again and saw him smile at something Davos had said. She liked Jon's smile and wished he would smile more often.

Tormund cleared his throat bringing her back again. 'Why don't you just invite him to your tent this evening?' he said quietly enough that only Missandei could hear.

'What makes you say that?' Daenerys asked as she tried to hide her excitement at the prospect of being alone with Jon again. Missandei kept quiet and continued to look ahead as though she couldn't hear them. Tyrion and Varys were far enough back that they couldn't hear and Jorah had gone to check on the Dothraki.

'Because he is pining for you and you're pining for him and it's getting on my nerves,' Tormund said brashly making Daenerys laugh. Tormund then steered his mount towards Jon and Davos leaving Daenerys to wonder about what to do next.

While the camp was being set up for the night Daenerys strolled across to her dragons. Her Unsullied guards stayed a distance away as they deemed her safe enough with her children. Daenerys was also aware that nobody else wanted to get close to the dragons if they could avoid it.

Drogon was lying on the ground tucking into a lump that she couldn't really decipher as the moon had started to wane and his shadow was covering his meal. He moved his head towards her as she approached and she stroked his nose as he closed his eyes in appreciation.

Rhaegal, who had been swirling above, finally landed and Daenerys moved towards him. He snapped at her which made her reflexively step back before he lowered his head to the ground looking apologetic.

'What's wrong?' she asked gently in Valyrian as she touched his nose and to her relief he didn't pull away. She felt a weak grumble emanate from him and she knew he was sad for some reason. He had soothed slightly from her touch but not enough. He wasn't annoyed with her she knew that but she couldn't think why he would be so upset. He and Drogon had obviously been very upset when they lost Viserion but she didn't think this was because of his lost brother.

'Are you still sad about Viserion?' she asked quietly. 'I miss him too.' Rhaegal shifted slightly under touch and she looked to his eyes and realised that as much as Rhaegal missed his brother she had been right that something else was going on.

Rhaegal pulled away and curled himself up as though he was protecting himself. A dark splodge was thrown next to her towards Rhaegal and Daenerys realised that it looked like the remains of a boar. Rhaegal didn't move.

'You must eat,' she coaxed as Rhaegal snapped again but Daenerys wasn't surprised this time. Knowing his mood, she was prepared for it. She sighed and started to walk away. Over time she had begun to read her children well and she could see the concern in Drogon's eyes as Rhaegal still ignored the food.

She saw Missandei waiting for her and together they moved toward her tent. As she ate she remembered her short conversation with Tormund earlier and that was when she realised why Rhaegal was upset. As far as she was aware Jon had not been near the dragons since he had chased after her with Rhaegal.

She finished her meal and told Missandei where she was going.

'Do you wish me to come with you, Your Grace?' Missandei asked looking concerned.

'No thank you,' Daenerys smiled back. 'If I can't walk through the Northern camp by myself then I'm pretty sure this alliance will never stand.'

Missandei looked as though she wanted to protest but Daenerys had already started towards the Northern camp. 'Go and see Grey Worm,' she said quietly with a smirk as Missandei blushed.

'Your Grace, a word now if I may?' Tyrion's voice was unwelcome as she wished to get to Jon as soon as possible.

'Not now,' she dismissed him.

'We need to talk about what happens when we get to Winterfell,' he insisted.

'And we can talk about that at another time,' she answered exasperatedly. 'I need to see Jon,' she said before grimacing slightly at her slip-up. Though Tyrion knew about the relationship between her Jon she rarely used Jon's name in the hope that she wouldn't slip up on other occasions.

'Well I'm sure your meeting with **Jon** is of the upmost importance,' he snapped with the emphasis on Jon's name. Tyrion turned back into his tent with a huff. The cold weather was getting to him and his temper had shortened considerably.

Daenerys sighed but decided to push on. The problem with Rhaegal was more important right now. She moved through the tents of the Northern camp and noticed many bearing the symbol of House Manderly. It seemed that Lord Manderly had indeed brought as many fighters as he could. She noticed boys and girls who could only be just into doubles figures of age and remembered how Jon had told her that he wanted everyone of the age ten or over to learn to fight. She continued on and became aware that many of the men were now staring at her. In this strange environment she suddenly felt exposed as they stared. She was starting to wish she had brought some guards, if only to shield her from the watchful gazes of the Northern men.

'Yeah, I know she's pretty but staring at her won't give you any better chance,' Tormund's gruff voice felt like a relief to the constant attention.

The men grumbled slightly as they reluctantly turned their eyes away.

'Don't gawp either as you don't wanna get frostbite on your tongue, course frostbite on your cock is worse so keep your mind clear when you're having a piss,' Tormund continued with a mirthful laugh. Daenerys smiled as she reached Tormund. She was used to coarseness after her time with the Dothraki so sexual comments were not something she was offended by.

'Thank you,' she sighed. 'I'm used to people staring at me but...'

'You're used to people staring at you on your own terms, not theirs,' Tormund replied with understanding and Daenerys nodded.

Daenerys could see Jon's tent now. It was situated a bit further apart from the others and the grey direwolf was snarling on the lighter background. She wondered how she was going to approach Jon when Tormund walked over and found the pole next to the flap that acted as a door and knocked.

'You got a visitor. 'Bout time too,' Tormund grinned at Daenerys as he left.

'Daenerys,' Jon said in surprise as he saw her. 'Where are your guards?' he asked looking around.

'I came without them,' she replied with a shrug. 'Are going to let me in or should I stand outside for the remainder of our meeting?' she smiled mischievously as Jon looked slightly embarrassed and he stepped aside holding the flap of the tent so she could go inside.

She turned to look at him. She felt as though she hadn't really seen him properly since they had arrived in White Harbour. The fire in the brazier only half illuminated his face but he looked so strong and young. She knew the hells he had been through and the one likely to come. She truly felt close to him as though there was a bond they shared but didn't know existed. It was more than their desire for each other.

'Dany? Are you going to tell me why you're here?' Jon asked gently as he moved closer to her.

'I wanted to talk to you about something,' she said cryptically. Her mind was now ablaze. She had wanted to be alone with him for quite a while but she still needed to talk to him about Rhaegal without getting distracted. That was clearly easier said than done but a voice came to her rescue.

'Your Grace, I was wondering exactly where...' Davos had walked into the tent and then froze as he saw Jon and Daenerys. 'I'll come back later,' Davos stated as he quickly left the tent shaking his head.

Both Jon and Daenerys watched Davos go and then turned to each other. Their eyes met before they both started laughing heartily.

Jon rubbed his eyes with a sigh. 'No privacy,' he muttered as he poured some ale and offered it to Daenerys. Daenerys wasn't as fond of ale as she was wine but it was Jon's drink of choice and they were in his tent. She sat down on the cot that served as his bed as Jon poured himself his own drink and sat next to her. They clinked their mugs and both took a sip.

'What did you want to talk about?' Jon asked.

'There's something wrong with Rhaegal,' she said softly.

'Is he hurt?' Jon asked with true concern lacing his voice.

'No. He's not eating and he's being rather moody,' Daenerys answered.

'How d'you tell if a dragon's moody?' Jon eyes glinted with mischief as he asked. 'Ow,' he rubbed his side where Daenerys had elbowed him. How had he forgotten that she had rather sharp elbows?

'Not funny,' she retorted although she was smiling. 'I am still learning about them and sometimes I still don't know what to do,' she sighed. 'I wish I had somebody else who would know or I could talk to about it but my family are gone.'

'It's a shame you never met Maester Aemon,' Jon said wistfully. He then noticed Daenerys' confused expression. 'He was Aemon Targaryen, brother to...Aegon V...and would have been your great granduncle, I think.'

'What?' Daenerys thoughts about Rhaegal and how Jon could potentially sort it had vanished from her mind. There was another Targaryen? Why didn't she know about him?

'He was Maester at Castle Black,' Jon explained and Daenerys didn't fail to notice his use of the past tense.

'Was?'

'He was an old man. He was blind but he still saw so much,' Jon smiled as he remembered the kindly Maester and Daenerys moved closer to Jon as if she could find a way to see her relative through his words and feelings. 'He gave me a lot of advice. Good advice and he was one of the kindest men you could meet.'

'You liked him?' Daenerys asked her eyes shining with curiosity about her relative.

'Yes, I liked him a lot,' Jon replied. 'I wasn't there when he died as I'd gone to help the Wildlings. I wish I had been.'

'I wish I'd known him,' she said sadly as she looked to the bottom of her empty mug. Jon took her mug, stood and refilled it before passing it back to her and sitting down.

'He knew about you,' Jon broke the silence and Daenerys head snapped up.

'He did?'

'Yes. We used to get ravens about what you had been doing,' Jon smiled warmly as Daenerys looked at him in hope. 'His main regret was that he couldn't do anything to help you but he was proud of you.'

Daenerys felt tears prick her eyes. She rarely cried now, though losing Viserion had been the exception. She could tell Jon was looking at her as she stared at her mug of ale but she couldn't help feeling so alone. She was glad Jon had told her about Aemon but now it emphasised how alone she was. The last Targaryen.

Jon's arms enveloped her and she leant into his touch with ease. He didn't need to say anything as his presence was enough to calm her. After a while her breathing levelled out and Jon felt slightly giddy with what was happening. She was trusting him with her true emotions and he wondered when she had last truly let someone in.

'Sorry,' she muttered quietly as she finally pulled away from him. She wiped her eyes on the back of her gloves and drank the ale in one go. 'I just wish I had met him-'

'So you wouldn't be alone,' Jon finished her sentence. 'I felt completely alone when I had no idea where my family was. For the most part I believed them to be dead.' 'But I am not alone' went unsaid.

Silence fell between them for moment as they could hear the men shuffling about outside. Tormund's voice could be heard but thankfully they couldn't decipher what he was saying. Davos' tone could also be heard, most likely giving orders.

'So...about your moody dragon?' Jon brought the topic back to where it had started.

'When was the last time you saw him?' Daenerys asked as Jon sipped his ale before answering.

'White Harbour. Why?'

'I think he is upset that you haven't seen him,' Daenerys was ready for Jon to believe that was ridiculous.

'What?' Jon looked taken aback.

'I think he bonded with you but you haven't been there,' Daenerys continued cautiously. 'Dragon's don't just let anyone ride them.'

'Drogon let everyone else on him,' Jon retorted defensively.

'But I was there,' Daenerys insisted as she tried to make him understand. 'Rhaegal let you ride him because he trusted you. He barely knew you. From what I know about dragon riders, is that once a dragon chooses their rider they will not fly solo with anyone else. Only once the rider dies could a new rider take over.'

'It was a one-off because you were in trouble,' Jon was starting to panic now as he stood and moved away from Daenerys. He had hoped that his relationship with Rhaegal would be fleeting and had been out of need for both of them. He didn't know how the North would take their King riding a dragon as the Targarygens weren't exactly popular. It also rankled him how Varys had suggested he somehow had Valyrian blood through his mother and his connection to the dragons may indicate that. He was scared, if truth be told.

'It makes sense Jon,' Daenerys said calmly as she moved towards him and touched his arm gently.

A loud, whining roar sounded over the camp making Jon and Daenerys jolt.

'Rhaegal,' she whispered before running out of Jon's tent. It took her a moment to find her bearings before she heard another cry from her dragon. She ran as fast as she could towards her child, no longer caring that her braids were now a mess and she was sprinting past many people red-faced and panting. She must have looked quite the sight but she cared about her dragons more. She came to the clearing to find Drogon lying on the ground looking calm while Rhaegal emitted his whine again.

She was sure that Rhaegal wasn't hurt but he looked truly upset. She was aware of a presence behind her and the breathing indicated it was Jon who must have followed her. In truth many of the armies were watching the dragons from a distance. They were watching to see how she would deal with her 'child'.

She walked slowly towards Rhaegal who noticed her coming but didn't move. It was only when she was about half-way there that he moved to stand to his full height. She stopped as she realised that he wasn't looking at her but past her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Jon was only a few paces behind her and he had the dragon's full attention.

* * *

 **A/N: So how do we think Rhaegal is going to react? Please let me know what you think. Thank you for the continued support. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**I know many of you are looking forward to Rhaegal's reaction to Jon so I hope this doesn't disappoint. The second half of this chapter was a scene I wanted to write but wasn't sure I should. I hope that you do enjoy it and it doesn't come across as sacrilage.**

 **Just a warning that there is a couple of instances of swearing.**

* * *

Chapter 10

Jon looked up and saw Rhaegal's eyes focused solely on him. The dragon was angry with him, he was sure of it now. Ghost had a similar look if he was miffed and Jon now believed that Daenerys had been correct in her assumption that his plan to stay away from the dragons had backfired. Rhaegal had taken it as an insult and for that only Jon was to blame.

Jon moved closer to Daenerys who had stopped and noticed that Rhaegal's gaze never left the King in the North.

'Jon,' Daenerys said with warning in her voice.

'It's ok,' Jon said as he slowly moved past her. 'You were right, he's annoyed at me.'

Rhaegal continued to eye Jon beadily as Jon approached him. Daenerys slowly backed away as she felt as though she was intruding on something personal. She was confident that Rhaegal would not hurt Jon though. Jon crept forwards and maintained eye-contact with Rhaegal as he moved cautiously, his feet crunching on the light layer of snow. The moonlight wasn't bright but Jon's eyes adjusted quickly, as his heart started to beat rapidly.

Everyone was gathered now as Rhaegal's distress had been heard all around the camp. Almost every man, woman and child was watching the shadow of the King in the North approach an angry dragon. The lit torches and the moonlight cast an eerie glow across the scene. Muttering was rife.

'He's gonna die!'

'Eaten or burnt?'

'He's crazy!'

'What is he doing?' Brienne whispered as she watched Jon slowly approaching Rhaegal.

'Tryin' his luck with the dragon by the look of it,' the Hound muttered in response.

'Is he mad?' Jorah questioned with a shake of his head.

'Your Grace?' Missandei looked towards Daenerys who had slowly made her back to the line of people watching.

'Rhaegal's upset with Jon,' she said in barely above a whisper.

Jon steadied himself as he approached Rhaegal. He was unaware of the number of people watching as Rhaegal's eyes consumed him. He briefly wondered what the large, green dragon was going to do now that he was so close. Just as he completed that thought, Rhaegal lunged at Jon and hit him squarely in the chest with his snout.

Jon was taken by surprise as he was lifted into the air, not very highly if truth be told, before he landed on his back with a loud thud. The air rushed from his lungs, winding him and making him gasp for breath.

Gasps came from the crowd as they witnessed Rhaegal making his displeasure known.

'Oh no!' Missandei gasped and instinctively reached for Grey Worm, who took her hand immediately.

'Archers!' Lord Manderly bellowed. 'Protect your King!'

'Stop!' Ser Davos bellowed as loudly. 'You will likely hit your King and piss off the dragon!' The archers looked around in confusion. 'Lower your weapons.'

'You lot are soft,' Tormund chuckled. 'If the dragon wanted to really hurt him he wouldn't have just knocked him on his backside!' Tormund seemed to be the only person smiling as the archers lowered their bows. It was clear that Tormund, and only Tormund, was finding Jon's predicament rather funny.

As Jon finally managed to fill his lungs with air he noticed that he was now staring at some very large teeth positioned just in front of his face. His senses started to return and he could smell charred meat and smoke coming from Rhaegal's mouth and heat radiated from the dragon. The dragon growled slightly and Jon could no longer see Rhaegal's eyes, just the teeth. Rhaegal breathed out through his nostrils and the accompanying smoke made Jon cough and splutter as well as melting some of the snow around him.

As Jon recovered from his coughing fit he noticed that he could now see Rhaegal's eyes as the dragon had backed off slightly and tilted his head. That did mean that the teeth were now level with another part of Jon's body and Jon privately hoped that Rhaegal didn't decide to gnash his teeth.

'Alright,' Jon said as he caught his breath and propped himself up onto his elbows. The cold, wetness of the snow he had fallen in was starting to seep into his clothes. His cloak had borne the worst of it but now he was starting to feel uncomfortable. 'I deserved that.' Rhaegal's response was a growl that Jon had already realised meant 'yes'. 'Do I get to explain why before you eat me?'

Rhaegal responded with a snort and slowly backed away a little. Not very far, but enough for Jon to try and stand up.

'It's backing away,' Gendry said quietly in the crowd that was watching the scene before them in a hushed silence.

'Not very far though,' Pod responded with worry in his voice.

'I think you should do something,' Tyrion stated to Daenerys quietly making her jump. Her attention had been on Jon and Rhaegal and she hadn't noticed Tyrion next to her.

'Maybe you should,' Jorah agreed from just behind her right shoulder.

'This is between them,' she said quietly but firmly. She knew that Rhaegal was annoyed and wondered whether maybe she should make her presence known, but something held her back. The relationship between Jon and Rhaegal intrigued her and she felt this was something for them alone.

Jon moved himself onto his side on the ground so that he could use his left arm as leverage as he stood. The ground was icy underneath the snow and even Rhaegal's warm presence wouldn't melt the ice quickly. Jon cursed as his arm slipped on the ice sending him crashing back down to the ground. 'Fuck,' he muttered under his breath as he tried again to the same outcome. He felt rather ridiculous as he slipped and struggled to stand. Rhaegal moved his head so that his chin was resting on the ground right next to Jon. Jon took the hint and managed to lever himself up using the dragon and carefully walked over to the snow for some more reliable footing. 'Thanks,' he said to the dragon.

'See, he's fine,' Tormund announced with flare, though nobody responded.

Jon stood rooted to the spot as Rhaegal moved around him so that the dragon's body was encircling him and blocking him from view of the onlookers.

'It seems that the dragon wants some privacy,' Varys mooted as he spoke for the first time. His tone sounded almost amused.

'This is mad,' Pod muttered under his breath.

'I liked it better when we could see,' Brienne said with a sigh.

'What d'you think we'd see?' Tormund asked cheekily, making Brienne roll her eyes.

'There's nothing we can do but wait,' Tyrion said with a hint of anger in his voice.

'Rhaegal will not hurt Jon,' Daenerys said forcefully as her annoyance at seemingly everyone's distrust of her child made itself known.

'Let's hope not, otherwise the North will be in uproar,' Tyrion replied icily.

'The dragon has done what he wanted to do,' Tormund said as he approached Daenerys.

'You can't know that!' Gendry shot back looking worried.

'That dragon is a wild animal,' Tormund took a simpering tone as if he was talking to a young child. 'Wild animals don't think, they act. If that dragon wanted to kill Jon then it would have done already and there would be nothing to stop it. It chucked him on his backside to make a point. Jon's used to dealing with wild animals so he'll be fine.'

Wild animals? Daenerys wondered at Tormund's statement but her eyes never left Rhaegal's back where she knew Jon stood just beyond her dragon.

'Well he's survived putting up with you, so yeah,' the Hound retorted making Tormund laugh and Pod and Gendry smirk.

'I hardly think this is funny,' Tyrion remarked seriously as he continued to watch.

Jon kept still as Rhaegal settled himself, trapping Jon between his large body and head. The dragon's eyes no longer looked as angry as before and Jon knew he would have to explain to the dragon why he had stayed away. Would the dragon truly understand him? Did Rhaegal understand the Common Tongue? Was he being ridiculous? Probably.

Jon leant back against Rhaegal's scales and immediately felt the heat through his cloak and clothes. The dragon gave a warm growl, much like Ghost did when Jon touched him. He really did miss his direwolf.

'I'm sorry,' Jon started quietly. 'I should have come to see to you before now.' The 'yes' growl came again. 'The truth is...the truth is that I was afraid.' A somewhat curious snort emitted from Rhaegal. 'Not of you,' Jon reassured the dragon as his right hand stroked Rhaegal's scales. 'Of everything, if truth be told.' Another, curious growl came from Rhaegal but this seemed more of a 'why?' question.

Jon sighed and paused for a moment and looked into Rhaegal's eyes. The eyes were curious and searching and Jon was, once again, reminded of Ghost. Many people had struggled to see differences in Ghost's eyes to judge how the wolf was feeling. For Jon it was easy and now he felt he was starting to read Rhaegal too. He shivered slightly at the thought.

'I never knew my mother,' he continued still stroking Rhaegal's scales. 'I don't know her name, what she was like...nothing. It's all I ever remember wanting.' Jon felt the next growl rather than heard it. The dragon was somehow empathising with him. 'Once my father died I knew I would never know...but now I can't help but wonder...I wonder whether I have Valyrian blood from her.' The 'yes' growl shocked Jon in some ways but in others it didn't. 'I have Valyrian blood?' Jon asked and again received the 'yes' growl as Rhaegal's eyes truly softened and Jon felt the dragon relax behind him. 'That's why you let me ride you?' 'Yes' came the answer.

For a minute or so, Jon continued to stroke Rhaegal's scales and the dragon purred happily at the touch. The Night King could have attacked and neither would have known anything about it as they enjoyed each other's company.

'I was afraid of the truth,' Jon whispered quietly but he was sure Rhaegal could hear. 'A part of me was also afraid that you let me near on a one-off and you might...eat me if I got close.' Jon offered half a smile and Rhaegal snorted as if he was laughing.

Rhaegal then purposefully dropped his wing and nodded towards his body. Jon knew that Rhaegal wanted to fly.

'Not tonight,' Jon told the dragon who gave an irritated growl. Jon moved across and stroked Rhaegal's neck as he eyed the carcass on the ground nearby. 'You haven't been eating and I need sleep. We'll go in the morning. I promise.'

Rhaegal eyed Jon as if he was trying to detect a lie, making Jon feel slightly apprehensive. The dragon must have believed the human standing in front of him as the dragon lifted his head over Jon, moving away and promptly attacked the carcass on the ground. A dark splodge flew past Jon and landed near Rhaegal. Jon turned to see Drogon lying down looking relaxed. Brothers, Jon reminded himself.

Jon turned to walk away when a low growl came from Drogon's direction. The dragon extended his neck slightly and Jon moved towards him. Jon stroked Drogon's snout a few times before the dragon had had enough and tucked his head under his wing with a large yawn.

Jon gave a final glance in Rhaegal's direction, the dragon was now attacking his food with gusto, and then finally turned around completely. He was shocked to see just about everyone in the camp watching him, well at least what they could see of him in the dim light. Lord Manderly's army, the Unsullied and the Dothraki were all watching with expressions of awe and curiously muttering. It made Jon feel uncomfortable to know that his 'ability' to get close to the dragons could not be hidden anymore. Winterfell would soon be awash with rumours of all kinds and the very thought made Jon nervous.

Daenerys was smiling as he walked towards her. She had been right about Rhaegal's moodiness and Jon felt slightly embarrassed that he had indeed been the cause.

'See, I told ya he would be fine!' Tormund boomed and laughter started to fill the air. Jon found himself laughing along with them.

'You gave us quite a scare,' Daenerys sighed with relief as Jon approached.

'That would be an understatement,' Tyrion growled.

'Were you scared when it knocked you over?' Gendry asked and then looked embarrassed.

'It was a surprise, that's for sure,' Jon shook his head in amusement. 'He wanted to show me he was angry but he wasn't going to truly hurt me.'

'Yeah, well, can you not do that again?' Davos glared but there was little heat in it. 'My old heart can't take it.'

'And I don't want to be the one to tell your sisters and your brother that you got killed by a dragon, Your Grace,' Brienne huffed.

'Sorry,' Jon answered looking a bit sheepish as the adrenaline was starting to wear off. Jon didn't notice the glance between Davos and Varys.

The crowd was starting to disperse now that the excitement was over. Jon looked back to Rhaegal who was still eating and gave a small smile but he also felt a sting of longing. Rhaegal had confirmed, in his eyes, that he had Valyrian blood but it pained him to know that he would never likely be able to work out who his mother was. Does she know about me? Does she care? Who was she? He knew she was most likely dead, especially since his father got upset every time Jon tried to ask him. She was more of a mystery than ever.

'Jon?' Daenerys' voice cut through his thoughts but the look she gave him suggested that she had said his name more than once. She was now alone with him as the watchers returned to their tents in an effort to get some sleep after the excitement. 'Where were you?'

'Lost in thought,' he answered but he knew she wanted to know more. He just wasn't ready to give it. 'I think he's fine now. He showed me he was annoyed and I won't leave it so long again.'

'He threw you to the ground,' Daenerys said with concern as they walked away from the dragons.

'That was a tap really,' Jon laughed. 'I've been sent to the ground harder by Ghost when he was happy to see me.' He turned to look at her and was surprised to see her looking confused.

'Ghosts send you sprawling to the ground?' she asked with her eyebrows furrowed. Was it possible that he hadn't told her? With all the time they had spent together and he hadn't told her about Ghost?

They reached Daenerys' tent and she indicated that he should go inside. He suddenly realised that he still felt a bit damp after his meeting with Rhaegal. Daenerys removed her cloak and Jon did the same. She put some wood in the brazier while he retrieved the flints to light it. Once the fire was lit and with a goblet of wine in his hand Jon sat down in one of the chairs Daenerys had in her tent, thankful to be off his feet. She took the opposite chair and looked at him enquiringly. It was only then that he realised that he hadn't answered her question.

'I can't believe I never told you,' he laughed at himself. 'I have a direwolf and his name is Ghost.'

'I thought direwolves were a myth,' she answered, looking at him with disbelieving eyes.

'Says the Mother of Dragons!' Jon retorted quickly with a laugh. After a moments pause Daenerys laughed too and how Jon liked her laugh.

'Good point,' she said as she tried to stop laughing. 'So?'

'Direwolves haven't been seen south of the Wall for 200 odd years,' Jon answered.

'But you have one?' Daenerys still looked confused.

'We found a mother dead in the woods,' Jon explained. 'She had attacked and killed a stag but she had also been injured by one of the stag's antlers. The wound killed her and we found five pups by her body. I told Lord Stark, my father, that there were five, one each for the Stark children and that they were meant to have them.'

'Five?' she was sure he had five siblings, well half-siblings.

'Five. One each for Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon,' Jon confirmed and then drank some wine.

'But not you?' Daenerys was intrigued by how Jon had gotten a direwolf.

'Not me. I'm not a Stark,' the fire crackled as Jon spoke.

'Then how?'

'As we were leaving I sensed something. I don't really know what. I turned back and a little bit further away from the mother's body I saw a white pup,' Jon looked thoughtful as he spoke. 'I picked him up and realised that he was alive. He had red eyes. He was number six. Theon said he was the runt but I knew he wasn't. I also knew that he was meant for me.'

'Why did you think he was yours?' Daenerys leaned forward in her curiosity.

'I'm not a Stark...but I have Stark blood,' Jon mused as Daenerys watched him closely. 'The pup was separated from the others, as I often was from my brothers and sisters due to my position as the bastard. My father took them when I said they were for the Stark children. It felt like I was supposed to find him after. Almost like I was to be included after the decision had been made. I dunno, it's difficult to explain.'

'How big is he?' Daenerys was curious about the direwolf as well as Jon's relationship with his siblings. She didn't wish to push the matter of his siblings too hard as she knew Jon wasn't someone who expressed his feelings very often. She decided to stay focused on the wolf.

'Direwolves can be as big as horses,' Jon smiled. 'Ghost was pretty big when I last saw him but I think he's still growing. He's pure white with red eyes, well he's white when he's not filthy!'

'He sounds amazing,' Daenerys couldn't help but look forward to meeting Jon's wolf.

'I miss him,' Jon suddenly blurted out. 'He's...a part of me. I think you understand that.'

'Yes, like my dragons are my children,' She looked reflectful as she thought of her lost Viserion. 'Why didn't you bring Ghost with you?' Daenerys asked.

'I'm not sure a ship is a good place to cage a wolf,' Jon laughed. 'I left him at Winterfell to protect Sansa. Hopefully, he's watching over them all now.'

'I'm sure he is,' she said quietly. Jon knew that tone. It was the tone that told him she wanted him. He couldn't deny that he wanted her too. They had been apart for a only a number days but to Jon it seemed like much longer. She kissed him fully on the lips and Jon dropped his empty wine goblet as his hands started to roam her body. For both of them it was the escape they needed with the troubles to come. Neither of them noticed Missandei's feet appear and quickly leave at the entrance of the tent.

* * *

Bran was out in the Godswood with Ghost lying nearby, chewing on a bone. He watched again the marriage of Lyanna and Rhaegar in Dorne. The marriage no-one knew had occurred except those already gone from this world. The child in the tower, who could only be Jon, and his own father, Eddard Stark, holding the child safely in his arms. For the first time Bran continued to watch as his father stayed with Lyanna until she died holding his hand. Bran watched as his father fell silent and tears ran down his cheeks.

 _Ned Stark still held the child he knew to be his nephew. 'Aegon Targaryen' she had called him. Did that mean she had married Rhaegar? If she had, she must have done so of her own accord, but Rhaegar was already married! Robert wouldn't like that at all. The boy started to cry and the woman who had handed the child to him came over and tried to take him._

 _'What are you doing?' Ned asked. The woman looked taken aback by his tone but she stood her ground._

 _'He needs feeding...my Lord,' she said as she moved again to take the crying baby. Ned reluctantly handed the boy over as the woman started to undo her dress to feed the child._

 _Ned looked back at his little sister who now lay calmly on the bed drenched in blood. Her blood. There was a calmness in death. His mind was racing at the situation he found himself in. The King's Guard had been stationed outside the tower, not to stop Lyanna from escaping, but to protect her and the heir she carried and had now birthed. What a mess._

 _Ned stood and turned to the woman. 'What is your name?' he asked gently, aware that he didn't want to frighten her._

 _'Wylla,' she replied. She looked down to the babe and smiled a warm smile. 'He has a good appetite,' she said happily as the baby continued to feed._

 _'He is not sickly?' Ned asked doing his best not to stare._

 _'It appears not, my Lord,' she replied without looking away from the child._

 _Ned turned back to his sister and held her hand once more. The smell of blood was almost overwhelming but he couldn't leave his sister. He did not notice the uneven footsteps that approached but Wylla had and turned her back to the door. The other maid, who had barely moved since Ned's appearance, stood in the corner of the room looking frightened. An injured man entered the room and looked around at the shocking scene in front of him._

 _Howland Reed's face contorted with sadness as he saw Lyanna's body lying on the blood-stained bed. She had defended him at Harrenhall and she held a place in his heart for that. His eyes moved to the figure holding her hand._

 _'Ned,' Howland called softly. 'Ned?' he called louder when he received no response form the first. Ned Stark appeared frozen as he looked at his little sister. When Ned didn't stir Howland limped over and shook his friend's shoulder. He finally extracted Lyanna's hand from Ned's grip making Ned look up._

 _Tears fell from Ned's eyes and Howland struggled to keep his own composure. A baby's gurgle was heard making Howland turn to Wylla, who was now holding the baby away from her chest._

 _'Ned?' Howland questioned with a look of pure shock on his face._

 _'His name is Aegon Targaryen,' Ned sighed as he finally stood. The room started to spin but he shook his head and it stopped._

 _'He's Rhaegar's child?' Howland asked looking exasperated._

 _'Yes,' Ned answered bluntly._

 _'But...how?' Howland asked seemingly dumbstruck._

 _'They must have married in secret if she named him Targaryen,' Ned sighed. What had his little sister done?_

 _'Poor little mite,' Howland sighed._

 _'What?' Ned asked as he saw Howland's defeated look._

 _'Well Robert, or probably Tywin, will have him executed as he is Rhaegar's blood,' Howland shrugged as if it was obvious. 'Look what happened to Rhaegar's other children. Robert won't be happy until all the Targaryen's are gone.'_

 _Ned felt his heart beating loudly and urgently. Lyanna had just said the same thing and he knew Robert would not forgive a child that came from Lyanna and Rhaegar. He would tell the world she was raped and the child should die. Ned looked back to the now quite baby boy being held by Wylla. The other maid had found some courage and had started trying to clear up the mess in the room._

 _'He's so quiet,' Howland said fondly. 'Like he knows he's a secret.'_

 _'And he will remain so,' Ned stated quietly but forcefully._

 _'Ned, a word,' Howland said with intent as he limped towards the door._

 _Ned turned to the two maids. 'Look after the boy and wash and redress my sister's body,' he told them. 'I don't want it to be obvious that she died in childbirth.'_

 _Ned followed Howland out of the room and took a good look at his friend. Howland had been injured in the fight and would need to seek a maester's care before long. Ned was also anxious to get the child to a maester to make sure everything was alright._

 _'Think about this Ned. You are Robert's best friend. Your duty is to your King,' Howland tried to reason._

 _'Robert will kill him,' Ned replied trying to force his anger to abate._

 _'What do you think Robert will do to you and your family if he finds out?' Howland raised his voice. 'What about your wife Catelyn and your son?'_

 _'This is on me,' Ned's anger was rising._

 _'That child is Rhaegar's son-'_

 _'And my sister's!' Ned roared. 'That child is my nephew, my sister's blood. My blood. The blood of the wolf runs through his veins.' Crying could be heard from the room._

 _'As well as the blood of the dragon,' Howland answered calmly._

 _Ned paced in front of the room wondering what he could do. There weren't many options left to him. The crying had abated and quiet, soothing singing could be heard._

 _'Send him to Dragonstone to be with the remaining Targaryens,' Howland offered. 'They would shelter him.'_

 _'No,' Ned answered. 'Queen Rhaella is with child herself and Viserys will not want a challenger to him when he is older. The Targaryens will likely be forced into exile and constantly running from assassins. No.'_

 _'Give him to a couple who haven't been blessed with children but wanted them,' Howland suggested. Ned had thought of a similar idea but rejected it._

 _'No. I want to keep track of him and who knows what could befall him,' Ned rejected. 'There is only one thing I can do.'_

 _'What?'_

 _'Make him my own,' Ned stated calmly and seriously._

 _'What? Tell everyone he is yours? How?' Howland asked incredulously._

 _'He will be my child. His eyes are dark and it looks as though his hair will be too,' Ned said determinedly._

 _'He will be a bastard if you do that,' Howland said steadily. 'No-one will ever believe that_ _ **you**_ _fathered a bastard.'_

 _Ned walked back into the room and Wylla placed the baby in his arms. She helped the maid strip the bed and Lyanna's body would soon be washed. Ned carried the boy out of the room as the child slept in his arms._

 _Once he had reached the bottom of the stairs Ned finally spoke. 'They will believe it if I tell them,' he said quietly. 'Who would truly question me?'_

 _'What about Catelyn? She won't accept this,' Howland tried to reason._

 _'She will have to,' Ned replied stoically._

 _'So you will raise_ _ **your**_ _bastard child at Winterfell?' Howland sounded more exasperated as the conversation continued. 'What about your honour Ned?'_

 _'Fuck my honour!' Ned retorted forcefully. 'This child is my blood and I will not have him savagely murdered because his father was Rhaegar Targaryen!' The boy in his arms woke and started to cry. Ned rocked the child and after about a minute the boy quietened._

 _'Why not-'_

 _'I will make sure he gets the education and training he will need like my own son,' Ned interrupted. 'Maybe the gods have a plan for him. I don't know. I will not leave him without his blood.'_

 _With one last try Howland quietly asked, 'What about your family? If Robert ever found out he wouldn't spare Catelyn and your son,' he repeated._

 _'Robert will never find out...unless you tell him,' Ned replied with a pleading look. He knew why Howland was trying to convince him not to take the boy home. It was a great risk to hide this secret Targaryen and if the truth was ever known it wouldn't just be his life at risk. Robert would not spare the Starks and Howland would possibly be in danger too. Ned looked down at the boy in his arms. The dark brown eyes of his sister stared back and Ned knew he had to protect his nephew as his sister had pleaded._

 _Howland sighed and shook his head. Maybe Ned would see the dangers after a time of reflection, but Howland was pretty sure his friend's mind was made up. It wasn't that he wanted the child dead, nothing could be further from the truth, but he knew that a secret like this could never be exposed. A secret like this was a burden to all those who knew it._

 _'Well,' Howland sighed after a short time. 'You can't call him Aegon Targaryen. That would seriously give the game away.'_

 _Ned smiled as his friend accepted his decision. Many thoughts passed through his mind but he finally knew what to call the boy. He would name him after a man he respected very much._

 _'I will call him Jon,' Ned said quietly. 'Jon Snow.'_

Bran came out of the memory satisfied that he had completely confirmed that Jon was Rhaegar and Lyanna's son and that his father had hidden Jon to keep him safe. The fact that there was a living person who could confirm that story made it easier to prove.

Ghost sidled over to Bran who gently stroked the direwolf's fur.

'Jon needs to know,' Bran said softly. 'It's all he ever wanted to know.'

'Bran?' Sam's voice called across the Godswood.

'Yes, I'm ready to go inside,' Bran called back.

Sam hurried over and started to push Bran's chair with Ghost walking slowly beside them.

'We need to get a message to Howland Reed,' Bran broke the silence.

'Why?' Sam asked.

'He knows about Jon,' Bran replied simply.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I am aiming to try and get chapters done more quickly but life has had other ideas. Thank you for sticking with this and thank you to all my reviewers, including the guest reviwers who I can't reply to personally.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello. It seems that in the last chapter I may have got my Howland Reed slightly wrong. I was trying to show Howland trying to protect Ned by pointing out the dangers and Ned's thought process** **. I hope you still enjoyed it though.  
**

 **I hope you enjoy the next chapter. :)**

* * *

Chapter 11

Jon woke with Daenerys asleep in his arms. It was still dark but the nights were becoming longer so it was difficult to judge the time. The lack of noise coming from the surrounding area suggested to Jon that it was still early morning and most people were still asleep. Jon carefully extracted himself from Daenerys who mumbled slightly as he moved. He found his clothes and quickly dressed before adding some wood to the brazier which was still burning lowly. He blew on the flames and soon they were majestically flickering again. Daenerys wrapped herself up in the furs as she continued to sleep which made Jon give a soft smile.

He took a last glance at Daenerys before he left the tent. He had been right, it was early. Some Dothraki and Unsullied stood guard but very few people had stirred. He made his way towards his tent and for the first time truly appreciated how far away he was from Daenerys. Lord Manderly had stationed some guards as well but none seemed interested that the King in the North was returning to his tent at such an hour. Jon was beginning to realise that his relationship with Daenerys was well known amongst the travellers as the dragons had seen to that, especially Rhaegal. Jon reached his tent and was surprised to find the brazier lit. He quickly changed his clothes so that he would be warm but not restricted and drank some fresh water that had been placed on the table. When they had returned to Dragonstone someone, probably Missandel on Daenerys' orders, had cleaned his furs after he had fallen into the frozen lake. Instead of a wet damp smell, they smelled of flowers.

He quickly dressed and decided that he would leave Longclaw behind. He made sure he had two small daggers, one of steel and the other of dragonglass. Maybe not the best protection but at least he had something.

Jon was about to leave when Davos walked into his tent with no hint of embarrassment at not making his presence known before he walked in.

'And where do you think you're going at this time in the morning?' the older man said with a rather exasperated fatherly tone.

'I have something to do,' Jon replied vaguely, knowing that wouldn't be enough for his Hand.

'So you just came back and now you're leaving again,' Davos raised an eyebrow indicating that he knew exactly where Jon had been.

'I made a promise that I really have to keep,' Jon sighed. He decided to hand Longclaw to Davos who looked rather startled before Jon walked out of his tent.

'To who?' Davos asked as he followed Jon, Longclaw in hand.

'Rhaegal,' Jon said as he looked to the sky. Dawn was a still maybe an hour or so away but the sky was starting to lighten.

'You made the dragon a promise?' Davos asked carefully.

'I told him we would go for a ride this morning,' Jon confessed as he started walking through the tents.

'Are you mad?' Davos clearly thought Jon was. 'Does Daenerys know?'

'No and no,' Jon continued to stride towards the clearing where the dragons had settled.

'Surely she would want to know!' Davos tried again as Jon stopped and turned to him.

'I can't explain it...but I feel that I need to do this alone,' Jon looked reflectful. 'It feels personal between me and Rhaegal. Like we need to be alone together with no-one watching. It feels like my bond with Ghost.'

Davos sighed and shook his head. He knew that Jon's bond with his direwolf was something that he could only wonder at. The wolf responded to not only Jon's commands but often the man's feelings. It was a magic that very few would ever know. The story Varys had told him was truly starting to make sense with Jon's bond with his direwolf coming from his mother Lyanna and his bond with the dragon, who just happened to be named after his father, coming from Rhaegar. Jon, of course, knew nothing about it.

'Ser Davos?' Jon asked as the older man had been quiet for some time.

'Nothing,' Davos shook his thoughts away as Jon looked at him enquiringly. He couldn't tell Jon. Varys had no proof but it did seem more likely as time went on. 'At least take your sword,' he offered Longclaw back.

'Too bulky. Besides I have a dagger and a dragonglass dagger,' Jon reasoned but he knew Davos wasn't convinced.

Jon gave Davos a curt smile and continued to walk towards the area where the dragons had chosen to sleep with Davos in tow. Jon's eyes had adjusted well to the gloom and he strode purposefully towards his target. Both dragons appeared to be asleep but as Jon walked closer Rhaegal shifted to stare at him. Jon heard Davos take in a sharp breath making Jon smile again as he left Davos behind.

Rhaegal stood quickly when he spotted Jon and Jon could sense something akin to joy coming from the dragon as he approached. Drogon hadn't moved but Jon was sure the black dragon was aware of everything that was going on but Rhaegal only had eyes for Jon.

Davos watched from a distance, wondering whether he should wake Daenerys and tell her about the truly stupid thing Jon was doing. He disregarded the thought as he watched the King and the dragon.

Jon reached out for Rhaegal and the dragon quickly lowered his head to push against Jon's hand, nuzzling as though it was the best thing in the world. Jon smiled at Rhaegal's reaction and briefly wondered how Ghost would act when he saw him next.

Rhaegal moved back and dropped his wing in a clear sign that he wanted to get going. Jon walked around and ran his hand over Rhaegal's scales. The dragon appeared to be purring at the touch. Jon looked across at Drogon and saw the dragon's eye open before being shut quickly. Yes, Drogon was keeping an eye out.

Jon started to feel his stomach turn as he started to climb on Rhaegal's back. He had purposefully not eaten anything as he wondered whether he would be able to keep anything down. The dragon for his part seemed to be willing to be patient.

Jon finally managed to get himself settled. The sky was cloudless but the air was chilling. Jon swallowed down an urge to vomit and tried to calm himself. When he first rode Rhaegal he had been so consumed by trying to stop Daenerys from getting hurt that he had barely thought about what he was doing. The height he was off the ground suddenly seemed higher than before and Rhaegal hadn't taken off yet!

Rhaegal let out an impatient snap as the dragon's patience finally wore out.

'Just be kind, alright?' Jon stroked Rhaegal's scales, feeling the warmth through his gloves. 'I have no idea what I'm doing.' Jon was now sure that dragons could laugh. 'Fine. Let's go.'

Jon gripped Rhaegal's spines as tightly as he could while his thighs squeezed Rhaegal's sides. The dragon extended his wings and rose up, forcing Jon to flatten himself to the dragon's back as closely as he could without being impaled by the spines. Jon closed his eyes as he felt the rush of air coming towards him, strangely the first time hadn't felt anywhere near as scary, as he felt Rhaegal lift into the sky vertically. Jon wondered at why his reaction was so different than last time and the only thing he could come up with was that last time he felt he had to do it. This time it was a choice and a choice that scared him.

Rhaegal levelled out and Jon opened his eyes and sucked in the cold air as if he had been drowning. He looked down and saw the snow covered fields and houses at a distance and his stomach started to protest. He took deep breaths through his nose to stem the feeling and the coldness of the air stung.

Rhaegal let out a small clicking sound and Jon instantly understood him. 'I'm fine,' he answered as he finally loosened his grip slightly. 'Just...taking it all in.' Rhaegal hummed in response.

Jon looked down again and could see that they were moving at quite a pace. He had no idea which direction they were going in but he turned and saw the sunlight behind him, suggesting that they were heading west. Jon felt a sense of warmth and happiness emitting from Rhaegal. It was difficult to describe but he was sure Rhaegal was happy. Maybe Rhaegal was always happy when he flew?

Rhaegal started to swerve from side to side and Jon hurriedly re-grasped the spines he had released slightly. Jon felt the laugh again as Rhaegal was teasing him. 'You like laughing at me, don't you?' Jon asked with a hint of amusement. 'Yes' came the answer.

As the flight went on Jon felt himself start to relax. He remembered how tense he had been when he had first ridden a horse and how now he could do it without thinking. Was this the same? Rhaegal changed course and started to head north. Cloud cover started to envelop them and Rhaegal dipped down underneath the clouds, much to Jon's relief. The small amount of time they had been in the clouds and already got him damp but the water didn't seem to bother Rhaegal at all. It seemed that they were flying in a comfortable silence as they both enjoyed what they were doing.

It was then that Jon saw it in the distance. Its unmistakable towers and shape. Winterfell.

'No,' Jon whispered. 'I don't want to fly over Winterfell,' he said.

'Why?' came the call from Rhaegal.

'I'm afraid they will attack you as we're still days' ride away. They won't be ready. I don't want you to get hurt,' Jon replied quickly, hoping that Rhaegal would understand.

Rhaegal moved off-course and Jon hoped that nobody had seen the dragon. He was also afraid that if Rhaegal had flown over Winterfell and he had been spotted that it might send the Northern lord's into uproar. He still didn't know how he was going to tell Sansa, Arya and Bran about this. About what he suspected about his mother.

* * *

Arya was awake early. She didn't sleep much anymore if she was honest. The kitchens were busy as they prepared breakfast and Arya decided not to disturb them as she would break her fast with everyone else. She let her feet lead her and they led her up on to the battlements which were still covered with snow that wouldn't melt in the cold temperatures. She shrugged her warm, fur cloak around her. It had been a gift from Sansa and Arya was happy to receive it. Sansa was very good at sewing with her needles and in this weather it was a welcome skill. The day would dawn overcast but for now the snow was staying away which was a relief.

'Hello, Ghost,' she said quietly before looking towards the doorway back into the keep. The giant direwolf barely fit anymore, but who would dare stand in the way of a direwolf? His red eyes were gleaming and he looked cleaner than he had for the past few days. His white fur striking against his red eyes and how he blended in with the snow. 'You can't sneak up on me you know,' Arya smiled to him and extended her now ungloved hand.

The direwolf had been trying to sneak up on her since she had returned but she always caught him. He smelt like a wolf after all. He dipped his head to nudge her hand before licking it. She scratched his ears and he close his eyes in enjoyment.

Then he turned to the sky. Eyes searching, nose twitching. In the distance Arya thought she heard a faint roar as something large bobbed in the distant sky. Could it be?

Ghost scrambled and rose up his hind legs, placing his paws on the battlements. He sniffed the air back and forth. The shape disappeared from view but Ghost's ears kept twitching for some time after. After a few minutes Ghost sat back down and dropped his head.

'What's wrong?' Arya asked him as she approached but Ghost seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, if direwolves had thoughts. Arya couldn't explain why but she felt it had something to do with Jon.

Ghost missed Jon that was obvious. He spent a lot of time in Robb's old room, which Sansa had told her Jon had taken when they returned. Had Ghost thought Jon was close?

'I miss him too,' Arya told Ghost who lightly licked her hand. She was looking forward to seeing Jon again but she was also feeling slightly apprehensive of how he would feel when she told him what she was, what she had done.

Ghost seemed to sense her feelings and licked her face in reassurance. Jon was still Jon.

* * *

Daenerys woke to find her bed empty. She was slightly disturbed by Jon's absence but reasoned that he had snuck back to his own tent to in an effort to keep their relationship a secret. She smiled to herself as she thought how stupid he could be. She was sure everyone knew about them but he still tried to keep it a secret. No doubt he didn't want to dishonour her but in truth she didn't care about her honour in that regard.

Missandei peered through the tent flap and Daenerys smiled at her. 'I have brought some water to wash, your Grace,' Missandei said as she placed a bowl of steaming water on the table.

'Thank you, my friend. I need it,' Daenerys answered making Missandei blush slightly. Missandei had indeed been aware of Jon's presence overnight.

Daenerys washed and Missandei helped her to dress in warm clothes. They chatted quietly about the trip, the weather and Jon with Daenerys also wanting to know about Grey Worm.

Dawn broke and Daenerys was about to visit Jon when Tyrion appeared with Varys, Jorah and Grey Worm in tow.

Daenerys sighed as she asked, 'What do you need to talk to me about?'

'The arrival at Winterfell, Your Grace,' Tyrion stated as he found the chair nearest to the brazier.

'It is important, Your Grace,' Varys added and Jorah nodded.

'Take a seat,' she said as Varys sat down but Jorah and Missandei remained standing while Grey Worm positioned himself near the tent's entrance. Daenerys sank into her chair and noticed Tyrion's nervousness.

'Out with it,' she said with impatience. Varys and Tyrion exchanged worried looks.

'It's about your introduction at Winterfell, Your Grace,' Jorah decided to speak rather than continue the awkwardness.

'What about it?' Daenerys asked.

'It's complicated,' Tyrion said looking down.

'Your list of titles to be precise,' Varys clarified.

'But Her Grace has earned all of them!' Missandei spoke up defiantly as Daenerys glared at her advisors.

'Queen Daenerys deserves them all and these people should respect that,' Grey Worm snapped.

'No-one is denying that,' Tyrion quickly moved to soothe the situation. 'But we must be careful not to overshadow their King.'

'The North will see it as a slight if you appear to present yourself as better than their King,' Varys agreed.

'Agreed,' Jorah nodded as Daenerys looked to him in hope that Tyrion and Varys were wrong. 'No-one here denies that your titles have been well earned. I'm sure even Jon wouldn't deny it...but the North has their own King. The North is a stubborn place and they are still full of hatred for Targaryens. Jon is your shield and even then you must expect many to be unhappy about your arrival. You will have to win them over but announcing yourself in a manner that makes Jon look weak and, forgive me, instil that you are their rightful Queen will only cause more problems.'

'I'm coming to help,' Daenerys snapped.

'And that is what we must emphasise,' Tyrion gave her a knowing look. 'Returning the North to Jon was a good move. We all know that he is devoted to you but he is also a man who wants to protect his people. We need to show the North that you are not there to rule them but to help them.'

'But once our Queen takes the Iron Throne then she will rule the North anyway,' Missandei stated.

'No,' Daenerys looked to her friend. 'I won't. Jon made it clear that when I gave him back the North I could not just take it back when I wanted. He will have to publically kneel to surrender the North.'

'Surely we won't even need that,' Tyrion said smugly as everyone turned to him. 'Help save the North and they will be truly grateful and will have a different opinion of you. Then marry Jon, uniting the North back with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms.'

Daenerys stood and began to pace causing those present to exchange curious glances. 'I don't know if I can marry Jon,' she said finally.

'Why?' Tyrion asked looking rather surprised but amused. 'You seem to enjoy...his company.' Smirks were barely contained but Daenerys didn't see any of them.

'He's a good man,' Jorah stated though it hurt him to admit she had found a man as good as Jon Snow. He knew she would never be his and he had accepted that a long time ago. Jon Snow would never hurt her that much was obvious and she clearly liked him. Maybe even loved him.

'Exactly,' she turned to her advisors. 'He is the first man in power who I have respect for. At first I thought he just wanted to be called King though he had no right. That he was an enemy that I might have to side with and then crush.'

'Now you know he is neither of those things,' Varys supplied and Daenerys nodded.

'You clearly like him and he likes you. This even makes sense politically. So where is the problem?' Tyrion asked clearly confused.

'You all know I cannot have children,' she turned to them all in turn, even Grey Worm. All looked downcast. 'I can't do that to him. He doesn't deserve to be saddled with a barren wife!' The true extent of Daenerys feelings had been uncovered to her advisors and she felt free having shared them.

'You are taking the word of a witch who hated you as fact,' Tyrion said gently. 'You should at least allow a Maester to examine you before you make a decision you may regret.'

'I was with Daario enough to know it is unlikely I will be able to have children,' Daenerys said sadly. The looks exchanged by her council showed that they did think she may have a point.

'Does Jon know?' Jorah asked quietly.

'Yes,' Daenerys replied as she regained her composure. 'But he doesn't believe me.'

'You need to discuss this with him,' Tyrion said gently. 'Listen to him. It may not be an issue for him.'

'He will need heirs and do any of you think it is right that he should not?' Daenerys asked and saw grim faces in reply.

Silence reverberated around the tent as everyone tried to digest the conversation.

'Back to the main point,' Varys broke the silence and steered the conversation back to the arrival. 'We believe it would be best for you to be announced as Queen Daenerys Targaryen. No other titles.'

'Yes,' Tyrion agreed. 'It makes it clear your position but does not belittle Jon or imply that you are their rightful Queen.'

'I agree,' Jorah nodded. 'It leaves no doubt who you are but it shouldn't make the Northern lords bristle too much. It will not be a warm welcome but hopefully they will see it more of an alliance than a conquering with their own choice of King as your equal.'

'Agreed. The last thing I need is for there to be more hostility,' Daenerys said after a moment's thought. 'I need to charm the North before I could ever rule them. If, I ever rule them.'

* * *

Rhaegal had landed near a copse of trees and left Jon behind, leaning against a tree, for about ten minutes. Jon's legs had gone to sleep after riding the dragon but he felt a sense of joy from the action. He knew now why Daenerys enjoyed riding on Drogon. Rhaegal promptly returned with a burnt deer in his jaws which made Jon's stomach rumble. He no longer felt queasy and was now feeling hungry.

A foreleg was sent towards him and Jon looked up to see Rhaegal's expectant eyes. Jon took his steel dagger and quickly removed the burnt skin as Rhaegal's eyes narrowed, watching him closely. Jon found the meat underneath to be well cooked and his mouth started to water. He took a bite and found the meat to be slightly overcooked for his taste but he wasn't going to complain.

'Thank you,' he said with genuine gratitude to Rhaegal and Jon noticed the dragon's pupils dilate. Rhaegal was happy. The dragon turned and attacked the rest of the carcass with vigour. Many would feel sick seeing an animal attack its food but Jon had been around Ghost's successful hunting trips enough to not feel queasy at the sight.

The dragon and man ate in silence as they both relished their meals. Jon hadn't realised how hungry he was until the bone was showing and he started to feel full. Rhaegal for his part happily ate the rest of his meal and was soon eager to fly again. Jon wanted to stay put for longer but the cloud was thickening and he reasoned that his absence would definitely have been noticed by now.

Jon carefully clambered onto Rhaegal's back and settled himself again. Rhaegal, sensing Jon was ready, took off and surprised Jon slightly. Once they were back up in the air Jon properly looked around at the sparse settlements they were flying over. Jon then decided to try something. He knew how stubborn the dragon could be and Daenerys had told him that the dragons could never truly be tamed. Neither could direwolves as Ghost wasn't truly tame either.

Jon leant to his right slightly to see if Rhaegal would follow his lead and was happy to feel the dragon change direction. Jon then leant to his left slightly and Rhaegal responded. Jon made sure that his grip was strong as he leant hard to the right and Rhaegal responded by banking right with his left wing above Jon and the right wing below Jon. Jon felt his anxiety peak as he knew he could have easily have fallen but the excitement of the situation also ran through him. Jon shifted his weight back to the middle of Rhaegal's back and felt the dragon right himself. Rhaegal emitted a powerful roar that felt to Jon as it was full of joy at flying through the air. Rhaegal continued to fly and turned his head slightly to see Jon. Jon then leant strongly to the left and Rhaegal again responded as his left wing lowered and his right lifted further into the sky.

Once Rhaegal had righted himself he let out another roar that made Jon smile. Jon then leant forwards to see if Rhaegal would dive and dive Rhaegal did. Jon saw the ground fast approaching and leant back to get Rhaegal to pull up but the dragon kept going. Jon was frantically trying to lean back as much as he dared but Rhaegal wasn't taking the hint. Jon worried that he had pushed it too far and they were going to crash into the ground. They were feet from the ground when Rhaegal spread his wings out to catch the air and he skimmed the ground at a terrifying pace. Jon released the breath he had been holding and Rhaegal seemed to laugh once more.

'You really enjoy teasing me, don't you?' Jon said to the dragon once his fear of crashing a dragon had calmed as Rhaegal flew back up to a usual height. 'Yes' came the reply.

'Let's get back,' Jon said feeling as though he'd had enough for one day. 'I guessing you know where the camp is because I don't.' 'Yes' was the answer. 'Besides your mother probably wants to murder me by now.' Rhaegal clicked an answer that Jon didn't quite understand but Rhaegal had changed course slightly and Jon trusted that the dragon knew his way back to his brother and his mother.

* * *

Cersei woke from her sleep with a terrible pain in her abdomen. She wasn't yet fully awake but she could feel wetness beneath her and between her legs. As she started to wake up fully she felt the pain again and it was horrific. She held her stomach and her eyes widened as she saw the blood. Her blood. She flung the blankets aside as her heart started to race. Tears began spill from her eyes and she felt the pain again. Blood covered her, her bedsheets and her nightdress.

'NOOOOOOO!' she screamed as she felt her womb cramp again. 'NOOOO!' she sobbed as she grasped at her stomach as if she could make it stop.

'Your Majesty?' her servant appeared and the girl's eye's widened at the sight before her. The Queen sat in her own blood with tears cascading down her face and her hands clutching her stomach. 'I'll fetch Qyburn,' the girl said and ran.

Cersei knew there was nothing Qyburn would be able to do. The child was lost. Possibly her last hope of another child. Where was Jamie? He had left her like this. Why? Why? The child was her only hope and now that child had been taken from her.

She cursed Jamie and Tyrion. Her useless brothers who had abandoned her. She cursed the dragon bitch and the wolf bastard. They would take everything they could from her, even Jamie. She would make them pay. The dragon and the wolf would soon hear how the lion roars!

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed Jon's ride with Rhaegal! As for the Daenerys scene about her (well-earned) titles, I felt as she gave Jon back the North (unlikely in the show) telling everyone you are the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms might annoy the Northerners when their King is stood next to you.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello. Sorry for the delay but it has actually been sunny in the UK! Also, it has been hot by our standards so I've struggled being by the computer for long stretches.**

 **This chapter also gave me a few problems so I hope it came out ok.**

 **Any really obvious mistakes, please let me know. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for continuing to stick with this fic. :)**

* * *

Chapter 12

Daenerys was feeling thoroughly miserable after her earlier conversation with her council. Her titles were are part of her and she didn't see why she should hide them but she did realise that making Jon look weak in front of his own people would not be a good idea. She sighed and drank some water and she felt her stomach feel slightly unsteady after eating earlier. The wine last night had tasted different too. She shook her head and tried to gather her thoughts.

She had known that going north to Winterfell had its risks but she was finally starting to see that she would once again have to play a role. She would have to leave Jon in charge in his own kingdom and, though she trusted him, it was still difficult for her to let go of the control she had become used to. She needed the Northern lords and ladies to warm to her and she was worried she would struggle to achieve that, especially if they were anywhere near as stubborn as Jon had been when he first met her.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Missandei came to fetch her for the council meeting and together they entered the tent. It was a large tent that had been hastily put up to house the councils of both Daenerys and Jon with a table in the middle and no chairs. A map was spread-out so their route could be easily planned. In all honesty, they were going to continue to follow the road so the council was more for show than anything else.

Daenerys looked around and instantly noticed that Jon was not present. Lord Manderly was looking at her with a strange interest which unnerved her slightly. She had rarely been close to him so she supposed he had never seen anyone like her before. Brienne, Pod, Gendry and the Hound were all present as well Ser Davos and Tormund.

'Ser Davos, where is His Grace?' she asked aware that with Lord Manderly's presence she didn't want to seem overfamiliar but she was pretty sure he also knew about her relationship with Jon like everybody else.

'He has been waylaid, Your Grace,' Davos answered vaguely.

'Waylaid?' she repeated as she was sure he wasn't telling her something.

'Aye, he will be here soon,' Davos answered hoping that Jon would indeed be there soon. Daenerys moved her gaze from Davos and found Brienne looking a little confused along with the others with the exception of Tormund. Tormund was smirking which meant that he knew the truth.

'Where is he, Ser Davos?' she raised her voice and stared at the older man. Davos looked at his feet, glared at Tormund and did everything he could not to look at her. 'Where is Jon?' she asked throwing caution to the wind.

Davos sighed, 'He left.'

'Left?' Daenerys asked incredulously.

'Has he decided to ride ahead to Winterfell?' Tyrion asked with concern.

'Without any support?' Brienne looked at Tyrion as though he was stupid.

'Then where is he?' Daenerys asked again, losing her patience. They were hiding something from her as she watched Davos and Tormund exchange looks.

'He...he...he took Rhaegal out this morning,' Davos finally managed to say.

'Rhaegal?' Daenerys was stunned. She knew Rhaegal had warmed to Jon but to take Rhaegal out alone was stupid.

'The green dragon,' Davos insisted when Daenerys said nothing else.

'I know which dragon he is,' she replied icily making Davos gulp slightly at her tone but he composed himself quickly.

'I told him to tell you,' Davos insisted, 'but he insisted he needed to do it alone.'

'Then **you** should have told me!' she shrilled.

'And defy my King?' Davos stated back calmly. 'For what it's worth, the dragon seemed happy to see him. Admittedly, I know little about dragons but I felt that Rhaegal wasn't going to hurt him,' Davos finished.

'Fool,' Daenerys muttered under her breath and turned to exit the tent.

'Your Grace,' Varys' voice travelled to her and made her turn. 'May I council you not to go after him?'

'Why?' she snarled. She was annoyed that Jon had taken Rhaegal without her consent but she was also worried about him and rather impressed. The three emotions were conflicting and for the moment all consuming.

'I know only what I have read about dragons, save for what I've learnt in the company of yours,' Varys moved round the table so that Daenerys was only a few feet away from him. Tyrion moved to join him. 'That is all anyone truly knows.'

'We all saw what happened last night,' Tyrion continued. 'Rhaegal for some reason has formed a bond with Jon. I used to read about dragons when I was young. I actually wanted one!' Tyrion turned to the other members of the meeting with a smile and muffled laughter travelled around the tent. 'From what I've read, dragons need to bond with their riders.'

'Traditionally the riders have Valyrian blood, and the most prominent dragon riders were the Targaryens, of course,' Varys explained knowing that Daenerys already knew this. Davos managed to catch Varys' eye in the hope of stopping the bald man from revealing what he believed to be the truth about Jon. Varys gave a small smile at Davos' mistrust. 'Somewhere Jon must have some Valyrian blood for the connection, though we may never know from where, but Rhaegal has readily accepted him. Maybe it is best to leave them to bond together as another dragon rider would be very useful in the battle's to come. We have little time so that bond must be forged quickly.'

Daenerys knew they were right. Besides if she flew in the wrong direction she wouldn't find him. Well she was wrong as she knew Drogon would know how to find his brother. 'Drogon,' she muttered.

'Your Grace?' Missandei looked at Daenerys with a strange expression.

'Drogon seems to like Jon as well,' Daenerys answered. Curiosity was now getting the better of her. Both dragons tended to greet Jon as a friend but ignored everyone else. There was something about Jon.

Suddenly, an almighty roar filled the air and Daenerys dashed out of the tent. Rhaegal soared above the camp and she felt the joy coming from her dragon. A joy that Rhaegal had lost since Viserion's death. Atop of Rhaegal she could see Jon who showed no sign of distress in his body language.

Jon held on tightly as Rhaegal descended next to his brother who was watching them carefully. Rhaegal's landing was lighter than Jon had expected and he relaxed his grip. He regretted his decision instantly has Rhaegal rose up on his back legs and extended his wings widely to make himself as big as possible and let out a powerful roar. Jon scrambled to regain his grip so that he wouldn't fall. Rhaegal then gave Drogon a look that Jon interpreted as a 'See, I can do it too' look that Jon was rather familiar with. When Arya wanted to try something and succeeded, often she had that look. Gods he had missed her.

Daenerys' ran towards her dragons with a mixture of annoyance and delight as she saw Jon and Rhaegal together. Rhaegal looked truly happy and very pleased with himself.

Drogon stood and snapped back at Rhaegal but Rhaegal stood his ground.

'Hey, stop it,' Jon said as he was becoming nervous of the tension between the brothers as he was still on Rhaegal's back. Jon sighed in relief as he saw the silver hair of Daenerys approaching her dragons.

Daenerys approached her dragons cautiously as she was aware that their emotions were high and she didn't want them to accidently hurt her or Jon. She could sense Rhaegal's triumphant mood and Drogon feeling challenged. She realised that it must be strange for Drogon now that Rhaegal had his own rider.

The dragons saw her coming and Rhaegal was leaning on his front feet, which were attached to his wings. She glanced up and noticed that Jon had seen the problem. With angle of Rhaegal's wings Jon couldn't climb down. He was stuck.

Daenerys chuckled to herself, or at least she thought she had, but Jon's response told her that he had seen or heard her.

'I'm glad you find it amusing,' Jon voice came from above her.

'You're stuck,' she replied with a laugh.

'Apparently so,' Jon replied drolly. Rhaegal had turned his head and was now looking at Jon. The dragon knew what he was doing.

Daenerys then turned to Drogon who had dropped his wing and was looking rather pointedly at it. She rushed forward and eagerly climbed on Drogon's back.

Jon braced himself on Rhaegal's back as he knew the dragon was going to take off, no matter how much he protested.

In unison the dragons lifted their wings and took off, soaring high into the sky. Their roars were load and coordinated as they circled the camp before landing together, before finally allowing their riders to dismount.

* * *

'Well that was quite the show,' Tyrion muttered under his breath with a confused expression.

'Indeed,' Varys agreed with a certain smugness that looked out of place.

'Do you know something?' Tyrion asked exasperatedly. 'If so please share it.'

'I know many things, my Lord, but many are shrouded in mist and are not quite clear. I prefer not to share those until the time is right,' Varys answered cryptically.

'That wasn't an answer,' Tyrion mumbled but Varys just offered a quizzical look in reply.

'Why do the dragons like him so much?' Pod asked no-one in particular.

'Good question,' Jorah answered as the dragons landed and Daenerys and Jon dismounted. 'I've never seen them like this. Have you seen anything like this Missandei?'

'No,' the woman from Naarth replied. 'The dragons would never hurt us, we know that...but he seems to be able to get unusually close.'

'The dragons like him so he must be a good man,' Grey Worm added.

'Unusual?' the Hound scoffed. 'Whole bloody family is unusual!'

'Tell me about it!' Tormund had finally decided to see what the fuss was about. 'He already has a pet! He's getting greedy.'

'Pet?' Gendry asked looking confused.

'Pet is not the word I would use,' Davos chuckled but didn't answer the question.

'Soo...?' Gendry was looking around to see if someone would answer him.

'Well, he does have a rather large, white direwolf that follows him around,' Brienne smiled slightly and Pod nodded behind her.

'You mean Ghost?' Gendry asked before looking away when Brienne looked at him curiously.

'How do you know that?' she asked. Gendry pondered his reply but was spared by the Hound.

'He knows the little wolf,' the Hound said with a smirk towards Gendry.

Gendry sighed, 'Arya told me a lot about her family when she could. I was the only one she could tell. She told me about the direwolves and their names.'

'Well, you will see Ghost at Winterfell but make sure you don't annoy him cos I've seen him rip throats out,' Tormund said as he clapped Gendry on the back.

'You know, maybe Jon's a secret Targaryen!' Pod said doing his best not to laugh. After a moment's silence, laughter rang around the group, except for Varys, Davos, Tyrion and Jorah.

Jon climbed down from Rhaegal's back once the dragons had finished showing off. He felt rather unsteady on his feet after the flight and fell into Rhaegal's side once but the dragon didn't seem to mind. Rhaegal lifted his chin so Jon could scratch him there and the dragon practically purred in delight. Once Rhaegal had had enough he moved away and then flew into the sky to join Drogon who had taken off moments before.

'I should be very angry with you,' Daenerys voice came from behind Jon.

'Why?' Jon asked with playful innocence.

'You stole one of my dragons!' Daenerys replied in a mocking tone.

'Stole? I don't think I could do that without the dragon's permission,' Jon responded coyly.

'Well no...but you should have told me,' she finished seriously.

'I should have,' Jon agreed and started walking back to the camp with Daenerys walking with him.

Daenerys felt her anger ebbing away as she found that she was impressed with Jon for his ability to get close to her children. Very few would even dare and her dragons certainly seemed to like him, even Drogon!

'You're an idiot!' Tormund greeted Jon as he and Daenerys arrived at the edge of camp. 'Brave but an idiot,' Tormund chuckled and Jon rolled his eyes.

'We do need to make decisions quickly now that we have been delayed,' Tyrion gave an accusing glare in Jon's direction.

'We keep following the King's Road and we'll get to Winterfell within the next couple of days,' Jon said with an authoritative tone.

'He's right,' Lord Manderly agreed as everyone turned to man they had completely forgotten. 'I've made the trip many times. We will be there soon.'

'Let's pack up and get going then,' Davos said as he strode purposefully towards the Northern camp.

'Yes, let's go,' Daenerys agreed as she gave a last glance to Jon before following Missandei.

* * *

Sansa was sitting at her desk in her father's old solar contemplating the recent news. Scattered reports had come through about the Wall having fallen. She had been loath to confirm it because, although Bran's powers were known, she didn't want to draw attention to her little brother or how the Wall had fallen due to an undead dragon. The dragon detail would turn everyone against Daenerys before she even set foot in Winterfell, never mind the fact the Dragon Queen had saved Jon in the process. Sansa knew that unity was the best course now and the Umbers and the Karstarks would arrive in a matter of days. Jon would be back soon too with Daenerys in tow.

She was lost in thought when she heard a knock at the door. She called 'Enter' to be confronted by Lady Mormont, Lord Glover and Lord Royce.

'What may I do for you?' she asked trying to suppress her sigh.

'We have heard disturbing rumours,' Lady Mormont said pointedly.

'What rumours?' Sansa asked when the little Lady did not elaborate further.

'That your brother has handed the North to the Dragon Queen,' Lord Royce stated harshly. It didn't escape Sansa's notice that Royce had said 'brother' rather than calling Jon 'king'.

'Is it true?' Lord Glover prodded.

Sansa sat back in her chair and contemplated the people standing in front of her. She didn't want to lie but from their reactions she could hardly tell the truth that Jon had bent the knee but somehow had regained his title. Two of them had already petitioned for her to take over from Jon because he was absent but Sansa also knew that the Army of the Dead were coming. She had heard too many stories from Jon, Tormund and several other Wildings about the White Walkers. Daenerys was coming and they needed her.

'The King is returning with more dragonglass to make into weapons as well as Daenerys' armies and dragons. He has accomplished what he set out to do and yet you doubt him,' she replied quietly but forcefully. Sansa noticed Arya enter the room quietly and unnoticed by the guests.

'That doesn't answer whether he gave the North to her!' Lord Glover pointed out.

'Without her help there will be no North,' Sansa stated calmly. 'I know that Jon will do all he can to make sure we survive and for that we need allies and Daenerys Targaryen. We will not survive alone.'

'We have to trust our king to do what is best,' Lady Mormant said but her conviction didn't quite meet her eyes.

'A king that kneels is no king!' Lord Royce growled. 'He should never have been named.'

'You speak treason,' Arya's voice startled everyone but Sansa. 'Maybe you believe that the Army of the Dead isn't real. Maybe you believe you know better than your king. Maybe you're just a fool.'

'Torrhen Stark knelt to save his people when Aegon the Conqueror came to Westeros with his dragons,' Sansa kept her voice as calm as possible. 'Daenerys Targaryen is here with her dragons but she comes to aid us in our battle against the dead. This is Jon's last raven to me.' Sansa held up the scroll that Jon had signed 'King in the North'. 'Read it if you must.'

The nobles' eyes widened as they read that the Wall had fallen but Jon was bringing Daenerys with him to Winterfell.

'Signed 'King in the North'. I should never have let you lead me to doubt our king! That was foolish of me!' Lady Mormont glared at the other two. She was not easily led but she had heard the same rumours as they had and she had known about their doubts.

'Apologies, Lady Stark,' Lord Glover gave an awkward bow as Arya moved close by to him.

'Apologies,' Lord Royce mumbled.

'You can apologise to your king when he returns,' Arya gave a smile was as cold as ice.

'Of course,' Lady Mormont replied instantly. 'I should never have doubted him.' She gave a quick curtsey to Sansa and a nod to Arya and swept from the room with a purposeful stride.

Lord Royce and Lord Glover gave small half-bows to Sansa and turned to leave only to find their path blocked by Ghost.

Ghost's red eyes seemed to glare menacingly as if the wolf knew their thoughts and doubts about his master. The message was clear, 'I'm watching you'. Both lords looked helplessly to Sansa and Arya who did not think to hide their amusement. The lords looked back and Ghost finally moved out of the way, allowing the men to leave.

'Well done,' Arya said after the lords had left. 'Let's hope Jon gets back soon and the Dragon Queen doesn't try to impose herself as Queen.'

'If she does, nothing will stop the chaos,' Sansa replies. 'We have to trust Jon.' Sansa wasn't as confident as her voice had sounded.

* * *

Jamie and Bronn were up on deck practising their swordplay and though Jamie's skill was improving, he was still easily beaten by Bronn. The sell-sword didn't hide his amusement.

'This is what I hate about sailing,' Bronn mused during their break. 'Nowhere to go and feel like yer trapped. Plus, no female company.'

'I would have thought you of all people would have thought to invite at least a couple of whores on board. After all you remembered sparring swords,' Jamie retorted with a half-smile.

'Yer think yer funny,' Bronn scowled slightly but it was playful.

'I do have moments,' Jamie chuckled slightly.

'Nah, yer little brother is far funnier,' Bronn smirked before swigging some wine.

'You ever been to the North?' Jamie asked after a comfortable silence.

'Nah, too cold and ugly women,' Bronn replied.

'How would you know if you've never been?' Jamie raised his eyebrows.

'Why are you going anyway?' Bronn changed the direction of the conversation. 'An' don't give me crap 'bout it's the right thing to do,' he added.

'But it is the right thig to do,' Jamie insisted but he couldn't meet Bronn's eyes.

'Not even partly because of someone...?' Bronn fished for an answer. 'Someone with a Valyrian steel sword and is strong enough to knock you on your backside whenever she wants? Someone you would rather fuck than yer sister?'

'Enough!' Jamie snapped as Bronn laughed in victory. Jamie stood and glared at Bronn who seemed to find the former Kingsguard's response even funnier and then Jamie stormed over to the side of the ship.

It was true that he wanted to regain some honour, not that he would ever lose the tags of 'Kingslayer' and 'Oathbreaker', but for once he wanted to do what was right with the right people. He had hurt the Starks when he had pushed Bran from the window, attacked Ned in the street, told Catelyn what he had done to her son and teased her about the bastard her husband had sired. The bastard who now ruled the North. He had known it was right thing to do when he let Brienne go in search of the Stark girls and part of him had felt relief to know they were alive. Cersei just wanted them dead.

Jamie took a deep breath of the sea air and felt the chill of the wind now that he had cooled down from the spar. He also wanted to see Brienne again. His life had been so consumed by his sister that he finally felt free of those shackles. It was liberating and terrifying in equal measure. He couldn't help but wonder if leaving Cersei behind while she carried his child was a good idea but his instincts had still been to leave. He had no idea whether he would be in any way welcome when he arrived at Winterfell again but he hoped there would at least be one person who was happy to see him.

* * *

Even with their late start to the march the armies heading for Winterfell made good time. The sky was overcast but fortunately, for the most part, there was very little snow to trouble them. Daenerys had decided to ride with the Dothraki who were suffering the most with the weather. They seemed cumbersome and far less exuberant than usual but they continued to march and ride at a steady pace.

The roads had been cleared through some of the small villages which had helped their speed through those particular parts. The people mainly stayed in their homes except to wave and greet their king. Jon waved back and made certain to make sure he waved to the children who greeted them. The Dothraki and the Unsullied were eyed with suspicion but no obvious trouble was caused. The night drew in quickly and snow had started to fall heavily so camp was made with haste. Jon took some riders a little further ahead to assess exactly where they were and how long it might be until they arrived at Winterfell.

'We're about half a day from Winterfell,' Jon announced when he returned. They had made better time than originally thought.

'We'll be there tomorrow?' Daenerys asked with surprise.

'Yes, we got through the villages quicker than thought because the road was clear,' Jon explained. He was sure Sansa would know they were near now as word would surely travel about an army the size of theirs.

After the evening meals many decided to prepare for bed as Jon had declared that he wanted to leave at first light. Jon couldn't sleep as he thought about finally seeing Arya and Bran again. It seemed so long ago that Jon had gifted Arya the sword he had the blacksmith make for her and said goodbye to Bran who probably didn't even know he was there. He was also looking forward to seeing Sansa again. He was sure she had easily ruled in his place and he hoped she could forgive him for making plans with Daenerys without informing her. He knew how she hated that. He also hoped Sansa wouldn't be too cold towards Daenerys and at least a polite formal greeting would occur. He could only hope the lords of the North could give Daenerys a chance.

* * *

Missandei had finished eating her evening meal and wandered around the camp before spotting the person she wished to see. Grey Worm was giving out orders to the Unsullied and waited for him to finish.

He smiled reflexively when he saw her and she loved his smile. He smiled so much more now.

'We leave at first light, you should get some rest,' he told her. She smiled as she thought that he always thought about her needs.

'I'm not tired. Do you want to go for a walk?' she asked.

'Yes,' he answered quickly and they started to stroll through the camp.

'What do you think Winterfell will be like?' Missandei asked. 'I've heard Jon Snow say that it is large and sturdily built but it is plain compared to Dragonstone and King's Landing.'

'I think it will be a place to keep standing in the cold,' he answered after a moment. His Common Tongue was almost fluent now but sometimes he still had to take time to think and sometimes his tenses were wrong.

'It won't be cold though. I heard Lord Manderly explaining about the hot springs to Lord Varys,' Missandei continued.

'I hate the cold,' Grey Worm muttered as they came to the edge of the camp.

'I'm not a fan of it either,' she replied as she pulled her fur cloak around her. 'The Northerners don't seem to feel the cold so much.'

'They used to it,' Grey shook his head slightly at his own comment, as if thinking that anyone being used to cold was stupid.

'What do you think of the king?' Missandei asked in a hushed voice.

After a pause Grey Worm answered, 'He seems a good man. They say he is a good fighter.'

'That's not what I meant,' Missandei looked pointedly at Grey Worm. 'Do you trust him?'

'Yes,' Grey Worm said after some thought. 'He speaks true and doesn't use words to make things difficult. The dragons like him.'

'You're right he hasn't given us reason not to trust him. The dragons trust him but I worry Her Grace is getting too close to him,' Missandei mused. 'She can't be distract- Argghh!'

Missandei's scream made Grey Worm jump and he quickly pushed her behind him with his spear held in front of him in defence. He scanned the terrain but could only see the snow falling in the darkness.

'What did you see?' he asked reverting to the comfortable Valyrian.

'I..I...I... don't know. It...it was red,' she said in Valyrian shaking her head while Grey Worm kept watch.

'What happened?' Jorah's voice called to them as he ran in their direction.

'Missandei see something,' Grey Worm supplied in the Common Tongue while Missandei looked shocked.

Daenerys appeared next accompanied by some Unsullied and Dothraki with Tyrion and Varys catching their breath as they approached.

'What did you see?' Daenerys asked her friend quietly.

'Eyes, red eyes,' Missandei said. 'They were there and then gone.'

'Are you sure it wasn't a trick of the darkness? A reflection on the snow that changed in the dark?' Jorah asked gently.

'I saw them,' Missandei started to calm but no-one could see anything resembling what she saw.

Running footsteps could be heard and Jon appeared with his sword drawn and the rest of his council and companions.

'What happened? We heard a scream,' Jon asked and looked around for an answer.

'Missandei said she saw eyes,' Daenerys answered.

'Most likely a reflection from the snow of some sort,' Tyrion explained as snow continued to fall.

'I know what I saw!' Missandei was getting annoyed at the dismissals. 'I saw red eyes.'

'Red eyes?' Jon repeated with curiosity rather than the disbelieving tone of the others.

'Yes,' Missandei answered as she was glad someone was taking her seriously.

To everyone's surprise Jon then sheathed his sword and smiled with a shake of the head. 'It's ok Grey Worm,' Jon told the Unsullied soldier who lowered his spear slowly as Jon walked by.

'Jon?' Ser Davos asked questioningly but Jon turned and pressed a finger to his lips.

A collective breath was held as Jon moved ahead into the dimness. The lights of the camp meant it wasn't total darkness and he stopped a few feet away from everyone else.

'Ghost,' he called. 'Is that you boy?' Jon's eyes scanned the darkness but with the falling snow he couldn't see much. His ears were listening out for any sign but he smiled as he thought of how quiet Ghost could be. Seconds passed that felt like hours but then the red eyes appeared gleaming through the falling snow. The large white head followed as the body trailed behind. Jon felt himself smile at the sight of his direwolf. Ghost had initially been deemed the runt but now he stood as tall as a horse. Jon wondered whether Ghost could actually fit inside Winterfell anymore and chuckled slightly as he pictured servants and lords alike jumping out of the wolf's way. After all, who would dare tell a direwolf he was too big to be allowed.

Ghost stopped just in front of Jon and was now so big he had to dip his head for Jon to look him in the eyes.

Jon reached up with his right hand to scratch Ghost's ears, 'I missed you boy,' he whispered knowing that Ghost could easily hear him. Ghost closed his eyes in pleasure at Jon's touch and Jon then moved forward so he could wrap his arms around the direwolf's neck. Jon buried his face in Ghost's fur and thought, rather oddly, how clean the direwolf was. Ghost tucked his chin under so it was resting on Jon's back and closed his eyes. He was happy to see Jon.

* * *

 **A/N: I'll have more of the Ghost and Jon reunion in the next chapter (I really do love Ghost) and we will soon get to Winterfell. The journey to Winterfell took a bit longer to write than I thought. Love to hear your thoughts. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi all. Apologies for the delay but parts of this chapter wouldn't turn out how I wanted. The penultimate section was harder to right than I thought.**

 **I am aware that I have many readers who have different favourite things about this fic. I hope that even if some aspects aren't to your liking that you can still enjoy it. :)**

 **A big 'Thank you' to all of my continuing readers who have been with me from the start and 'Hello' to those who have only recently found this fic. :)**

* * *

Chapter 13

Seconds ebbed away as Jon continued to embrace his direwolf. For the first time in a while he felt truly safe with Ghost again by his side. Jon chuckled slightly as he felt the tension building in Ghost's muscles. The direwolf had been rather sedate in his greeting but Jon knew Ghost's patience was running thin.

'He's beautiful,' Missandei said quietly as Jon held his wolf a few metres away and out of earshot.

'He's magnificent,' Daenerys agreed with awe in her voice. Though smaller than her dragons, Ghost certainly held a presence.

'That thing was much smaller the last time I saw it,' Tyrion mumbled, looking wary.

'You've seen him before?' Daenerys asked with curiosity.

'Yes,' Tyrion cleared his throat. 'That wolf was the size of a dog when Jon and I went to the Wall. I was surprised when Jon told me it was a direwolf. I merely thought they had found young wolf pups and managed to tame them, but that wolf is much larger than normal wolves.'

Jon pulled back gently and braced himself as Ghost then charged at him knocking him to the floor roughly before licking Jon's face continually.

'Ghost stop it,' Jon laughed as Ghost continued to his assault. Jon was glad Ghost was reacting like this. Like himself, Ghost could have moments of darkness where he brooded and Jon wondered whether Ghost would be unhappy that he had been left behind.

Ghost finally stopped licking Jon and placed his head on Jon's chest, head rising and falling in time with Jon's breathing. Jon could feel the wetness of the ground starting to seep through his clothes and was instantly reminded of his meeting with Rhaegal. Ghost's head was heavy meaning that Jon couldn't move which made the man chuckle as he lay back in the snow.

'Oh!' Missandei let out a gasp as Jon was knocked to the ground but it was drowned out by Tormund's roar of laughter.

'Now that's what I expected to happen!' he laughed with a wide grin, clearly enjoying the moment.

Daenerys could see Jon laughing which eased her worry. She looked across at Jon's entourage to gauge their reactions. Apparently, this was normal. Brienne, Pod and Ser Davos all wore knowing smirks, while the young man, Gendry, was watching on in awe.

'Quite the sight,' Varys mused but Daenerys did see a flicker of fear.

'The Direwolf of House Stark,' Jorah muttered. 'A sign from the Gods.'

'You've been looking after everyone, haven't you?' Jon asked Ghost quietly as he stroked the direwolf's fur. Ghost closed his eyes lazily in reply but did not shift his head from Jon's chest.

'Thank you,' Jon said with the thought of seeing Arya and Bran again after so long suddenly catching him off-guard. Tears welled in his eyes but he blinked them back. Despite the cold and dampness seeping into his back, Jon could easily have stayed where he was for the rest of the night with Ghost a source of warmth and comfort.

'Come on,' he said to the wolf as he tried to sit up. 'There's someone I want you to meet.' Ghost gave Jon a forlorn look but was convinced as Jon scratched his favourite place behind his ears.

Jon heaved himself up from the ground once Ghost had finally released him and started to trudge over to the waiting crowd. Jon reflexively smiled when he saw the looks of awe on the faces of Daenerys' entourage and was surprised to see a similar look on Daenerys' face.

Ghost had already headed for the people he knew and went straight to Tormund who held his hand out. Ghost licked Tormund's hand and the ginger man started to scratch Ghost's ears.

'I like you too,' Tormund said fondly to Ghost.

Davos repeated Tormund's gesture with no fear and commented, 'It's good to see you.'

Jon had approached Daenerys as they both watched Ghost who merely looked at Brienne and Pod, neither of whom made any attempt to touch the wolf.

Ghost towered over Tyrion and the lord gulped slightly as the wolf bent his head. 'I don't know if you remember me...but we met once. You were...much smaller...then,' Tyrion stammered slightly as he raised his right hand slowly towards the wolf.

Ghost bent his large head and sniffed at Tyrion's hand and then very gently pressed his nose to the outstretched hand before standing tall again.

'He remembers you,' Jon confirmed and Tyrion relaxed slightly as the wolf moved on.

Ghost sat on his haunches next to Jon who extended a hand to the wolf. 'Ghost this is Daenerys. Daenerys...this is Ghost,' Jon introduced them as though they were acquaintances that needed to be made, and Daenerys supposed they were.

Daenerys looked into the wolf's eyes and immediately regretted it. The red eyes shone like rubies and she felt as though this animal could see right through her. For a moment she was scared at what he might see. Would he judge her badly? Would he see her as a threat? Or worse, would he judge her unworthy of Jon? The questions bounded around her head for what seemed like hours but could only have been seconds.

She briefly wondered whether this was how Jon had felt when Drogon approached him on Dragonstone. Though Ghost was a lot smaller than her dragons, she was aware that nothing could save her if Ghost wanted to rip her throat out. His glare continued to bore into her as she slowly raised her ungloved right hand towards him. She was aware that Jon had placed his hand on the back of Ghost's neck as if he could stop his direwolf if need be.

Ghost, in turn, slowly lowered his head to sniff her hand. After a moment Ghost's head shot up and looked Daenerys in the eyes before turning to Jon, back to Daenerys and back to Jon again.

'What?' Jon asked Ghost, looking puzzled. Daenerys wondered whether she should retreat but Jon looked confused rather than worried.

Ghost turned back to Daenerys slowly and lowered his head slightly as Daenerys realised she had dropped her hand and raised it again. Ghost licked her hand and stood back.

'You can touch him,' Jon translated but still looked slightly confused.

Daenerys gradually moved forward and rather nervously started to scratch Ghost's ears like she had seen the others do. Ghost's eyes still bored into her and she wasn't sure the direwolf was enjoying her touch.

Jon then started roughly stroking Ghost's throat and the direwolf titled his head back, closed his eyes and his tongue lolled out of his mouth, clearly enjoying Jon's attention.

Daenerys laughed nervously as the giant, white direwolf in front of her looked rather like an overgrown puppy as he enjoyed Jon's pampering.

Suddenly, the quiet, comfortable and snow covered atmosphere was broken as a loud and familiar roar woke everyone from their stupor.

Ghost growled at the sound and Jon felt panic rise within him. Ghost barely made a sound unless he thought it was necessary and growls were mostly reserved for enemies.

Ghost suddenly ran off into the darkness towards the noise. The noise everyone knew, having spent enough time around the dragons.

'Ghost!' Jon called in panic and followed his direwolf into the darkness.

'Jon!' Daenerys ran after them as she knew her dragons wouldn't hurt her but she hoped they wouldn't inadvertently hurt Jon, or Ghost for that matter. A burnt direwolf would not be good for the alliance.

An intake of breath was held by the remaining watchers as Jon and then Daenerys disappeared along with worried looks. Nobody dared to follow.

Daenerys kept running but snow was getting in her eyes and her eyes were slow to adjust to the darkness. She could just about see Jon's shadow in front of her but he didn't respond to her calls. Then light filled the area she was in and she had to stop. Blinking furiously she saw Jon's silhouette and just ahead of him Ghost's. The light was coming from a dragon's mouth. Rhaegal's mouth.

* * *

Melisandre had made her way back to Volantis a moon ago. Admittedly, she hadn't gone straight back to Volantis as she had told Lord Varys she would, but had made a stop-off on the way. She had been given a small room in the temple that was more akin to their servants rather than a priestess and Kinvara had completely ignored her since her return.

Melisandre was anxious to relay all that had happened in Westeros but none of her colleagues wanted to listen. She was aware that her name was not held in the highest of regards as she had been wrong when she pushed Stannis to the fore as the Prince who was Promised, while many in the temple believed that it was Daenerys Targaryen who was Promised.

She wished to tell them that the darkness was coming and what she knew about those who could defeat it, but no-one wanted to listen. She was being punished for being wrong but they needed to realise this punishment was punishing them as well.

There was a knock on the door. 'Come in,' she answered despondently in Valyrian.

'The High Priestess wishes to see you,' Zanrush informed her.

He glared slightly as she muttered, 'Finally,' under her breath.

The walk to the meeting chamber was a long one from her new rooms, as if to accentuate her downfall. She was constantly trying to rehearse in her mind what she should say to make them believe her.

She arrived at the council chamber where fire adorned every corner, heat radiated off of the walls and red draped every window and every piece of furniture. Red priests and priestess stood at varying points around the chamber, chanting in Valyrian or looking into the fires. Melisandre rather felt as though she was to be on trial. Kinvara stood before the largest fire of them all, eyes closed and chanting in Valyrian.

'Welcome home,' Kinvara spoke without opening her eyes after a moment.

Melisandre wanted to retort that she felt far from welcome but decided not to. 'Thank you, High Priestess,' she managed to grind out as neutrally as possible while curtsying. .

'You have had many adventures it would seem,' Kinvara had opened her eyes and was now slowly sweeping across to Melisandre.

'I have seen many things,' Melisandre looked Kinvara in the eyes. 'I have also heard many stories. Stories I believe to be true. The Long Night is almost upon us.'

'Indeed,' Kinvara turned away to look towards the flames. 'Yet you were busy advising the wrong person. A man who could never be the champion to destroy the darkness. You wasted time when you could have come back as soon as you realised your mistake.'

'I did as the Lord commanded,' Melisandre replied heatedly. 'I was wrong to think that Stannis Baratheon was the Prince who was Promised but I believed that was what the Lord showed me.'

'We have waited for so long for this war to come, as we knew it would,' Kinvara's tone had deepened. 'Daenerys Targaryen is the one who was Promised. She has raised dragons from stone and she has the fire which will make her victorious!' Murmurs of agreement echoed throughout the room.

'I do not believe that she can do it alone,' Melisandre said quietly. All in the room turned to her.

'The Lord has shown me only Queen Daenerys,' Kinvara smiled but there was no warmth in it. 'Are you calling our Lord a liar?'

Melisandre knew she had to tread carefully. 'No, of course not,' she offered a strained smile.

'But?' Kinvara questioned as she now stood only feet away from Melisandre.

'I believe he has shown us what we needed to know individually,' Melisandre countered without breaking eye-contact.

'Explain,' Kinvara replied curtly.

'There is another...-'

'Stannis is dead,' Zanrush interrupted as the remaining priests and priestess conversed quietly under their breath before silencing at Kinvara's glare.

'Yes, Stannis is dead. Defeated at Winterfell. I know,' Melisandre stated angrily. 'I was wrong about Stannis being the Prince but I now believe he was my way to the man who is important in this war.'

Kinvara watched Melisandre curiously. 'Who is this man? Why do you believe he is important?' she finally asked.

'His name is Jon Snow-'

'A Northern bastard! What good could he be?' another priest snorted with derision.

'You do not know him!' Melisandre snarled back. 'We all know that the circumstances of birth does not make a person. Many of us were born to whores and once sold as slaves.'

'What makes you think this...Jon Snow is important,' Kinvara steered the conversation back to where it should be. She had heard nothing yet to convince her that the man might be important at all.

'He has seen the Army of the Dead and the Night King,' Melisandre stated boldly. 'He has killed a White Walker and is doing all he can to be ready to fight the battle he knows will come.' Silence resounded around the hall with only the crackling of the fires to disturb it. 'I believe the Lord has a plan for him.'

'Why?' Kinvara asked, no longer dismissive of Melisandre's words.

Melisandre took a deep breath and then explained her reasons, 'He was named Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and he managed to ally with the Wildlings who had been their enemy for so long. He encountered the Night King when he went to make the truce north of the Wall. He then allowed the Wildlings south of the Wall to save them from the true threat. He was...stabbed to death by his Night's Watch brothers as they believed he had betrayed them by allying with the enemy.'

'If he's dead-' Zanrush started by Kinvara held up her hand to silence him.

'I had seen Jon Snow in the flames fighting at Winterfell,' Melisandre continued. 'I tried to ally him with Stannis as I had seen myself walk along Winterfell's battlements and the Bolton banners lowered to the ground. I lost my faith when he died. I thought everything I had seen was wrong.' Melisandre steeled herself. 'I was wrong to doubt our Lord. He brought Jon Snow back and with the Wildlings and his sister's help he took back Winterfell. My visions all came true but not how I thought they would. Jon Snow's death served its purpose... to release him from the vows he would never have broken. He is the King in the North and I have done what I can to unite him and Daenerys Targaryen. To unite ice and fire.'

'You truly believe that they can only win together?' Kinvara asked with interest.

'Yes,' Melisandre replied. She believed that it was in fact Jon who was now the Prince who was Promised rather than Daenerys but she wasn't going to voice that thought. Both had an aura about them and she was certain that they needed to be allies, if not more. She felt there was a connection between them that she couldn't understand as she had never seen them together, but she had felt it when she met Daenerys. It was a connection that she couldn't explain.

* * *

Jon was blinded by the light and he could feel the heat of the fire. His stomach was in knots and he was truly afraid for Ghost. Somehow, he knew that the dragon was Rhaegal, even though he couldn't see clearly because of the blinding light contrasting from the darkness before. He could hear Ghost growling and he was sure he could hear his name being called from behind him.

'Rhaegal! Stop please!' Jon heard the panic in his own voice as he tried to move closer, trying to shield his eyes with his hand to no avail. The fire was so bright that Jon had to squint and blink tears from his eyes. He could just make out the silhouette of Ghost and found himself wishing that this was a dream. 'Rhaegal, please!'

The light started to dim and Jon blinked furiously as his eyes started to adjust as quickly as they could. It took longer than he wanted but finally in the gloom and the snow he could see Rhaegal baring his teeth at Ghost and Ghost baring his teeth back. The difference in size between the two was astonishing but Ghost didn't seem ready to back off. Angry growls were exchanged before Rhaegal opened his mouth again and fire started to rise. Ghost didn't move.

'No!' Jon shouted and ran in front of Ghost and directly into the path of Rhaegal's attack. The dragon immediately snuffed out the flames to look at Jon curiously.

In the distance, Daenerys watched as Jon ran in front of Rhaegal to, she assumed, protect Ghost and felt her heart in her mouth. She could just see Rhaegal's right eye when she squinted and she saw surprise flash across her son's eyes and the fire in his throat was quenched. He would not hurt Jon.

'Rhaegal, I've had him since he was a pup,' Jon explained as his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. Rhaegal's warm breath was washing over him and he could sense the uneasiness of the situation that could ignite again at any moment. 'He can be very protective of me.'

As if on cue Ghost started forward but Jon flung his arm out, catching Ghost in the throat. 'Enough,' Jon said with urgency and command. A tone he rarely used with his direwolf. Ghost let out a minor yelp as Jon's arm connected and stared back at Jon with questioning eyes.

Daenerys watched on wondering whether she should intervene. She didn't want to make things worse so for the moment she stayed where she was.

Rhaegal snapped a growl at Ghost who bared his teeth and growled back. The dragon and the wolf eyed each other intensely before Rhaegal finally stepped back a few paces and broke the eye contact.

Jon felt himself deflate slightly as it appeared that Rhaegal would not attack. He turned to Ghost and flung his arms around his direwolf. 'You are such a fool, d'you know that? He could have roasted you alive! Picking a fight with a dragon is a bad idea,' Jon chastised his friend with obvious relief in his voice.

Daenerys felt a sense of relief when she saw Rhaegal back away. No roasted direwolf to explain. She watched Rhaegal as Jon flung his arms around Ghost and spoke to his wolf. Rhaegal's head dropped as he watched the scene.

Jon turned to Rhaegal after cuddling Ghost to find a despondent dragon in front of him. Jon sighed and indicated with a point of his finger that Ghost should stay. Rhaegal saw Jon approach and when Jon was close enough snapped an angry growl in the man's direction.

'Hey,' Jon held his hands up in surrender. 'I'm sorry. I know you were protecting your mother and maybe even me. He is something you have never seen before.' Jon approached cautiously, aware that Rhaegal was watching him closely. 'But I've raised him since he was a pup. Like your mother raised you.' Jon saw a relaxation in Rhaegal's eyes, a kind of understanding. 'He's defensive of me, just like you are with Daenerys. He meant no harm but saw you as an enemy, as I'm sure you saw him.'

Rhaegal turned away slightly as if upset but Jon walked back into the dragon's vision. 'I want us to still be friends,' Jon said quietly and realised that he was telling the truth. These weren't just words to soothe a dragon. He knew he would feel a loss if Rhaegal rejected him now but it had to be the dragon's decision. 'I hope you want that too.' Rhaegal's look wasn't very convincing that he wanted the same.

Daenerys started to move closer to Jon and Rhaegal. She could see that Rhaegal was upset by Ghost having Jon's attention but she wasn't quite sure how to deal with it. Who would ever have thought that her dragon would be jealous over a human other than herself?

A bark came from just behind Jon startling him and he stumbled into Rhaegal and ended up leaning on the dragon's chin. Damn that wolf and his silent approaches! The dragon ignored Jon and didn't shirk his touch as Rhaegal's focus turned to Ghost.

Daenerys stopped her approach and continued to watch as the dragon and wolf faced each other again.

Jon felt his heart pumping faster again but for some reason knew he needed to stay in contact with Rhaegal. Ghost let out a high-pitched bark that was strange to Jon's ears. Rhaegal replied with a clicking sound. Ghost's reply was a higher-pitched growl than usual which Rhaegal returned with a snort. The strange conversation between the dragon and the wolf continued for about a minute and Jon's intrigue was growing.

Finally, Rhaegal lay his head on the ground and Jon kept his touch on the dragon with his left hand. Ghost rose up on his hind legs and gently placed his front paws between Rhaegal's nostrils. Ghost was completely exposed. The direwolf then pressed his nose to Rhaegal's before jumping down and sitting next to Jon.

Jon instinctively reached for Ghost with his right hand and touched the familiar fur. With his left hand on Rhaegal and his right on Ghost Jon finally sighed in relief. 'Does this mean no more fighting?' he asked quietly with hope. Ghost closed his eyes purposefully, 'Yes'. Rhaegal growled the growl that Jon knew meant 'Yes'. 'Thank the Gods,' Jon muttered as he looked between the two.

Rhaegal moved first as Daenerys had finally made her approach. She rubbed Rhaegal's nose and Rhaegal turned to look at Ghost. An understanding must have been reached as after a moment the dragon turned away.

A loud thud and a quake of the ground had Jon holding his breath again. Drogon had yet to meet Ghost and Jon could only hope the dragon wouldn't react badly.

Drogon appeared through the ever falling snow. His eyes glinted dangerously as they landed on Ghost.

'Drogon,' Daenerys stepped forward towards her larger son. 'Ghost is a friend,' she said purposefully.

Drogon eyed his mother and then looked at Ghost and Jon who was now touching Ghost by the neck to try and keep the direwolf calm.

Rhaegal's quiet, high-pitched screech caught everyone by surprise but Drogon clearly understood as the dragons had their own conversation, resulting in clicks, chirps, screeches and roars. Rhaegal seemed to settle the dispute with a look towards Jon and Ghost. Daenerys walked over and gently touched Ghost's fur, as if to point out that she was safe with Ghost as well. Drogon glared for a moment before seemingly accepting that Ghost was not a threat. Jon privately thought it would be best to keep Ghost away from the dragons if possible, or at least until they had calmed down.

Drogon turned away and then proceeded to tuck into his meal and Rhaegal did the same with his. In the gloom neither Jon nor Daenerys had noticed Rhaegal's kill right next to him with all the commotion. Ghost's ears were pricked as if he was waiting for a threat but fortunately it never came. Suddenly, a deer leg flew over Jon's head and landed next to Ghost stunning both Jon and Daenerys.

Ghost picked up the leg and gave a short nod to Rhaegal before leaving towards the camp.

'Sharing food is good, right?' Jon whispered to Daenerys.

'I would say so,' Daenerys answered as she tried to process the events that had unfurled in front of her. Dragons and a direwolf seemingly ready to fight and then managing an uneasy truce.

Cautiously, Jon and Daenerys followed Ghost, occasionally looking behind them only to find the dragons busy with their meals and taking no notice of them.

'That could have gone badly,' Jon shook his head and sighed.

'Well, let's just be happy that we still have an unburnt direwolf,' she answered with a small smile which didn't reach her eyes. Jon felt choked as he realised the truth of what could have happened. The thought of losing Ghost had made tears come to eyes so he turned away from Daenerys to hide them but he knew she had seen.

Daenerys now understood why Jon was perhaps the only person who could understand the bond she had with her dragons. She thought about her lost Viserion as they trudged back to the camp through the snow and how many had not completely understood how devastating her loss was. Yes, they knew she was grieving but they didn't understand the magnitude of it. Jon had never looked at her as though she needed to pull herself together when she was upset, he seemed to radiate empathy that no-one else did. No-one else could. She understood now. He had his own child in Ghost.

* * *

Last Hearth appeared dead in the gloom. No light, no noise, no people. The Army of the Dead stood, watching and waiting. Waiting for the command. The Night King circled the castle atop of the undead Viserion. No life appeared to stir within the castle. He was not surprised. The dragons had burnt a large portion of his army and he had hoped to add to it if possible but Last Hearth was dead.

The Night King knew Winterfell would be the key. He had decided to fly with the army instead of ahead of it. He had already lost one scouting party and he knew who was likely to blame. The silver-haired woman's dragons could destroy his unprotected army with fire so he had decided to stay to protect them. The new three-eyed raven would likely see if his army was unprotected and he couldn't risk the consequences. They would surely make a stand at Winterfell and he wasn't in a hurry.

* * *

 **A/N: Just to clarify, Ghost's reaction to Dany is about the Targaryen blood. As Jon has a mixture of Stark and Targaryen blood, the way I see it, is that Ghost can smell both types. Ghost has been around the Starks and knows 'their smell' but this is the first time he has encountered somebody with the other type. Hope that makes sense.**

 **I hope the dragon and direwolf interactions made sense. Winterfell should be the next chapter. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ok. I'm nervous about this chapter. Mainly because I just want it to be good.**

 **Any mistakes let me know.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Chapter 14

Jon and Daenerys became aware of their entourages when they heard sighs and whistles of relief as they approached through the falling snow. The attention was mainly on Ghost who was still carrying the deer leg in his mouth but the direwolf seemed unfazed by what could have happened to him.

'Is everything alright?' Tyrion ventured knowing that that with Jon, Daenerys and Ghost all present the worst had not happened.

'For now,' Jon said bluntly with air of not wanting to talk about it. Davos and Tormund knew Jon wasn't likely to talk so they followed him as he walked towards his tent. Daenerys hesitated before heading for her own tent. Jon appeared to be in the kind of mood where he didn't want to talk and she needed to process the events as well.

Jorah disappeared to the Dothraki camp and Missandei and Grey Worm to the Unsullied camp to tell the soldiers that the large, white wolf was not be harmed and that they should not attempt to go near it. The Unsullied all took their orders without objection but the Dothraki were worried about the foreign creature until Jorah pointed out that the wolf was the companion of King Jon and of no threat to their Khaleesi.

Wolf howls sounded around the camp as Kauko declared that the wolf must be good like the man he served. Jorah wasn't really sure how Jon had managed to win over the Dothraki but the events beyond the Wall and the fact that Jon had died and was once again living had made their way around the Dothraki camp. Of course, they had all seen Jon ride Rhaegal as well which to them showed strength. The fact that Jon and Daenerys were sleeping together also seemed to convince many of the Dothraki that Jon must be good.

'If he can satisfy Khaleesi then he must good and strong. It is known,' Kauko had announced.

Once it was clear that Ghost was under no threat from the Dothraki, Jorah went back to his tent and poured himself a large ale. Jon maybe a good man but the King's relationship with Daenerys was getting on his nerves.

Daenerys was in her tent having her hair unbraided by Missandei after her friend had returned from the Unsullied. Missandei reported that the Unsullied had agreed not to hurt Ghost or to get too close to the wolf. Many had been intrigued by the animal that they had yet to see. Grey Worm had been key in convincing them that Ghost existed at all and they were not going to disobey their Commander.

Daenerys was restless. There was no other word for it. She knew that there would be hostility in the North and she knew she had to let it brush off her when she arrived at Winterfell. Jon, by contrast, was nervous about returning with her and seeing his brother and sister again for the first time in many years.

She dismissed Missandei and went for a walk through the camp to try and ease her nerves. She wasn't paying much attention where she was going until she nearly bumped right into Ser Davos.

'Your Grace,' he said in his Flea Bottom accent.

'Apologies,' she muttered. 'Wasn't looking where I was going.'

'Something on yer mind?' he asked gently. At times he reminded her of Ser Barristan. Though both very different in terms of fighting prowess and speech she found that Ser Davos seemed to show the same true warmth that Ser Barristan had.

'Just...'

'Big day tomorrow,' Ser Davos smiled and Daenerys nodded. 'He's still awake,' Ser Davos left Daenerys to her own thoughts as she looked towards Jon's tent. Daenerys steeled herself and gently knocked on the post of Jon's tent.

'Come in,' came the reply.

Daenerys entered the tent holding up the tarp and saw Jon packing things away and generally rummaging around.

'Can't sleep,' was all Jon said as she stood still, hovering at the tent entrance. Jon sat down on his bed staring at her and then he seemed to be stifling a laugh. Daenerys wondered what he could be laughing about. Yes, she was hovering at the entrance to the tent and was holding up the tarp so maybe she looked slightly lopsided?

Then in her peripheral vision she saw the nose first and then the snout.

'Arggh!' she shouted as she let go of the tarp and stumbled into Jon's tent. The tent flap landed on Ghost's face but the direwolf just walked into the tent, unbothered by her reaction or the material that just hit him in the face.

Daenerys held her hand over heart and was breathing quickly when she heard Jon's laugh. She loved his laugh but right now she wasn't finding the situation funny. She took a moment to try and level her breathing as she stared at the direwolf who stared back at her. She looked at Jon who was trying to stifle his laugh and failing miserably.

'Now you know why I called him Ghost,' Jon managed to say with a grin.

She looked at Ghost again, who blinked back innocently as if unaware of the fright he had given her.

'I thought you called him that because he is white?' she managed to ask as her heart rate started to reduce.

'Partly, but also because he barely makes a sound,' Jon looked too smug for Daenerys' liking. 'When he growls you know there will be trouble.'

'I'll bear that in mind,' she retorted as she moved towards Jon.

Ghost cut her off as he stalked in front of her and then lay to the right of Jon's feet and rather purposefully plonked his head on Jon's lap. Daenerys got the message. 'Mine'. Jon belonged to Ghost and she would have to earn her King in the direwolf's eyes.

Jon dug his fingers into the direwolf's fur and Ghost closed his eyes, enjoying the touch.

'You're very clingy today,' Jon said quietly to the wolf. 'Have my sisters been coddling you too much?' No reaction came from Ghost. 'Or did you just miss me?' Jon felt the deep growl rather than heard it. 'I missed you too,' Jon said as he bent this head to kiss the direwolf's head. Ghost's eyes opened slowly and he looked warmly towards Jon. Daenerys had noticed the slight change in the wolf's eyes and smiled at the sight of the man and the wolf.

Daenerys sat down next to Jon with her hands in her lap. Truthfully, she wanted to dig her fingers into Ghost's fur like Jon was doing but decided against it. Ghost didn't fully trust her yet, she was sure of it. Seeing Ghost with his head resting on Jon's lap reminded her of the times her dragons had done the same and she had stroked their heads gently. Of course, they were far too big for that now. Jon seemed less anxious too now that Ghost was with him again.

'I think we need to keep the Dothraki and Unsullied separated from the rest of the troops at Winterfell,' Jon said calmly. Daenerys scowled at the thought that her armies would have to stay back. Jon saw her reaction and quickly continued, 'Only because we don't know how they will be received. The Unsullied I'm not so worried about but any kind of insult by anyone to or by the Dothraki could end in fights. I'm sure most will settle with their presence after a while but I only just managed to stop fights between the Northmen and the Free Folk by telling them they were as bad as each other. It also means that I can speak to the Northern Lords about making sure their men don't start the fights as well. It's going to be tense and needless fights and possible deaths won't help our situation. I also think it would be best to keep Drogon and Rhaegal a distance from the camp so they don't overwhelm those that have never seen a dragon and many don't believe you even have them.'

She didn't like it but she also understood that the last thing they needed was insults being thrown that would lead to fights. The Dothraki and Unsullied had started to pick up the Common Tongue so insults were likely to recognised and possibly exchanged.

'I will need to keep guards with me,' she said forcefully.

'Of course. I wouldn't want you to have no protection... but the Unsullied might be better for that,' he replied cautiously.

'With so many different cultures together this could go badly wrong, couldn't it?' she nodded. 'The dragons will likely terrify many people so it is best to keep them a distance away.'

'For them and the idiots who might react without thinking,' Jon sighed with a shake of the head.

'We'll find out tomorrow,' she said with a smile and kissed his cheek. She stood before Jon could pull her back to sit on the bed. He was stuck as Ghost clearly wasn't about to move.

'Goodnight,' Jon said with a tired smile.

'Goodnight,' Daenerys replied as she walked out of his tent.

* * *

Sam walked out to the Heart Tree in the Godswood to find Bran sitting in his chair, eyes clouded and in a vision. Sam noticed that Bran wasn't touching the Heart Tree so was more likely to be warging at the present time. Warging was something Sam had read about in the library at Castle Black and he had been fascinated when Jon returned having met a warg. The situation was somewhat clouded by the fact that Jon had killed Orrell and now bore new scars on his face from the warged eagle but Jon had explained as much as he could.

'Jon will be here in an hour,' Bran's monotone voice startled Sam slightly as Bran looked back at him, eyes clear.

'That soon,' Sam couldn't help his smile. His best friend was coming home but Sam also knew the news Bran wished to tell him wouldn't be easily received by Jon.

'He has to know,' Bran said as if he could read Sam's thoughts.

'I know...but it's going to break his heart,' Sam said sadly. 'Do you want to go back inside?'

'No, I'll stay here,' Bran gave a weak smile and Sam couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the boy Jon had known, the boy he had met himself, determined to go north of the Wall.

* * *

Jon wasn't paying attention to anything anyone was saying around him or to him. He was pretty sure Tormund had been trying to get his attention for the past ten minutes or so but Jon knew that just over the rise Winterfell would come into view. At times he had wondered if he would see it again and knowing that Bran and Arya had joined Sansa at their home was making him even more nervous about seeing them again. Would they recognise the man he had become? The man who came back from the dead. Would he recognise the man and woman they had become? Would they resent him for taking the title of King in the North when he wasn't a Stark and they were?

Jon's horse bristled as Ghost passed by and then the direwolf looked Jon directly in the eyes bringing him out of his thoughts. Jon urged his horse forward and to the top of the rise and Winterfell stood before him. Its strong walls and easily identifiable shape stood out amongst the white of the snow. The sky was cloudy but no snow was falling at present and he could see the temporary camps around the walls making it look rather chaotic but there was organisation amongst it. The road had been cleared as well, suggesting that they were expected.

He felt his heart beat faster as he took in the sight before him. He was home, finally. Arya and Bran were there and he would soon see them again. Sansa had clearly been effective in organising the chaos and he hoped she would be glad to see him back after achieving his goal of bringing back more men and the dragons. The Northern Lords he knew would be suspicious and he hoped Daenerys would be able to win them over as they really needed to work together if they were going to win against the Night King. The armies would be best separated for now as rivalries and idiotic egos would cause problems and he didn't want them to beat themselves before the Night King had even arrived. The dragons had been suspiciously absent as they approached Winterfell and Jon wasn't sure if that was Daenerys' doing or not.

'That's Winterfell,' Daenerys commented as she rode up beside Jon. Jon had told her not to expect anything as grand as Dragonstone but she could see that Winterfell was grand in its own design. Built on the fell and stretched out across the plain. Tall towers reached for the skies and she could even see the mix of red, green and brown leaves of the trees in the Godswood. She had never seen a Heart Tree.

'Aye,' he answered.

'It looks nice,' Missandei said as she stopped her horse nearby.

'Did you think I lived in a hovel?' Jon asked before he could stop himself.

'No, of course not,' Missandei stuttered. 'I...I wasn't sure what to expect,' she blushed before seeing Jon's smile. 'You were joking,' she sighed as Daenerys giggled quietly.

'You won't find the designs, the gold or the colours of the South here,' Jon said quietly.

'No,' Jorah appeared suddenly. 'Here things are rather plain, simple and strong. Built for purpose and built to last...Hopefully,' he added looking purposefully towards Jon who nodded back.

'Well...didn't think I'd see Winterfell again,' Tyrion said as he stopped his horse.

'It's huge,' Gendry grinned looking slightly overwhelmed. Jon pondered whether the young man was as nervous about seeing Arya again as he was. Brienne wore a wry smile and Pod looked happy to soon be back inside a building rather than out in the cold.

Varys, too, looked as though warmth and solid foundations would be welcome to him as he huddled inside his furs. The hood of his cloak meant he could barely see as he rode but he had yet to become unstuck. The Hound was muttering something incoherent and glaring at Tormund who didn't appear to care about the Hound's mutterings. Grey Worm sat stoically on his horse while Kauko seemed to mutter something under his breath in Dothraki. Jon wasn't sure whether it was complimentary or not.

Davos had a stern look about him suggesting that he was preparing himself for what could be a less than warm welcome. Jon privately agreed but hoped that Sansa would at least be civil and set a good example.

Ghost was now bounding about in front of them, obviously eager to get going. 'Let's go,' Jon said as he kicked his horse into motion and Ghost ran ahead of the group who would enter Winterfell first.

Sansa was sitting at her desk reading the raven scroll she had received from Riverrun. It appeared that her Uncle Edmure was still alive but was very much a shadow of his former self. The raven had been written by his Frey wife, Rosalin. She had released her husband from the cells where her father had held him as soon as the massacre of the Frey men had occurred. The murderer, Arya, Sansa inserted, had left the women alone and the Twins were now under the command of the Frey women who were loyal to Rosalin. Rosalin had taken her husband back to Riverrun in an effort to bring him 'out of the darkness that currently possessed him'. The Tully army was no longer a force and therefore Rosalin felt that she wouldn't be able to help with the troubles at Winterfell. She did, however, offer shelter and safety for those who were unable to fight in the War.

Sansa felt gratitude towards the woman who had married her uncle. Rosalin did not appear to be in any way like her father and Sansa hoped that her Uncle would find a way to return to them.

Sansa stretched her sore arm after having worked with Erik the previous day. Her archery was becoming more accurate although her long distance shots were still somewhat wayward. Even Arya had been impressed how quickly she had improved. Erik had also taught her how to fight closely using a small dagger. Both of them had agreed that she wouldn't master any kind of swordplay in time so he showed her the basics of fighting closely. Where to aim and how to position yourself.

She was aware that Erik was attracted to her and in many ways she was attracted to him. He was kind, gentle and rather handsome. He also seemed to understand when she needed him to back off and when she just needed someone to talk nonsense to her. She couldn't get close though. Her emotional scars were often present when she thought of him. Ramsay would often snake into her thoughts and ruin everything as the horrors of her rapes and beatings surfaced. She also did not want to be close to anyone she might lose. It was bad enough that Bran was hardly Bran anymore, Arya would insist on fighting and Jon would have to lead the battle. The idea of losing them was painful beyond belief and she couldn't add another one. Not now.

Sansa jumped as the door burst open to reveal Arya breathing heavily as if she had just sprinted there. Sansa noticed the look in Arya's eyes, joy.

'He's coming,' was all that Arya said before disappearing.

Sansa pushed herself away from the desk and hurried after Arya. Yes, ladies hurry they do not run, her mother had taught her. Sansa had politely asked the Lords and Ladies of the North to keep their distance when Queen Daenerys arrived to reduce any hostility. Sansa had thought it best that Daenerys formally met the Northern nobility in the hall rather than outside where fights were likely to sprout more easily. She also wanted to see Jon under less scrutiny.

Arya ran as fast as she could when she saw the small party separate from the main army as she stood on the battlements. She hadn't seen the dragons which disappointed her slightly but she was sure which one of the horse riders was Jon. She burst into the solar to tell Sansa that Jon was coming and took off again. She reflexively clutched Needle on her right hip. The sword that had served as a reminder of her family and the brother who had given it to her. His smile that he reserved for only her. She doubted he could know how important Needle had become to her and doubt flashed through her mind as she realised that Jon probably had no idea about the person, well assassin, she had become. Would he hate her for it? Would he wonder where his little sister had gone? Would he call her a murderer, no longer worthy of his love?

She had learned, somewhat, to block out emotions in the House of Black and White but now her emotions were consuming her. Would he even recognise her? She realised that her feet had stopped moving as she had arrived in the courtyard. She could hear the horses closing in and her heart started to beat an immense pace. Sansa suddenly appeared to her right making Arya jolt slightly.

'Don't worry. He'll be happy to see you,' Sansa said as if she could read her sister's mind.

Arya shook herself. She shouldn't need reassurance. It's Jon and Jon is Jon.

The Lords and Ladies of the North as well as those seeking refuge in Winterfell stopped their activities but none of them came to be part of a formal welcome, doing as Sansa had asked. To greet the party arriving it would be Sansa and Arya along with Maester Wolkan. Everyone else would wait until the dinner in the evening. Bran was absent which was no surprise to Sansa and Arya and both wondered how Jon would take the news that Bran barely resembled their little brother anymore.

'Open the gates,' a voice sounded. The gates of Winterfell opened with a creak and the sound of horses' hooves became thunderous.

When the guard at the gate announced, 'The King!' Arya couldn't help the slight chuckle as she thought of her brooding brother as King. He was no doubt hating the idea but carrying on out of his perceived duty.

Jon rode in first on his horse with Ghost trotting alongside him. Sansa noticed that he was still wearing the cloak she had made for him and that made her smile. Arya watched Jon bring his horse to a halt a few feet away. He looked older, tired and his hair was scraped back in a small bun at the back of his head. She had never seen him without his locks falling down by the side of his face. Her grip on Needle's handle grew as he hadn't seen her, yet.

Jon kept his head down as he rode into Winterfell. He could see the flash of red out of the corner of his eye that told him Sansa was there. He also saw the small shape next to her that he knew had to be Arya. He slowly dismounted his horse doing his best not to look. He wondered what Arya would see and whether she would be happy to see him. He was aware of Davos a bit further away and Tormund dismounting his horse. Daenerys would come through the gates at any second.

Jon finally looked up to where he knew his sisters were standing. He barely caught Sansa's eye as he was drawn to the smaller woman next to her. Time seemed to stop and for a moment he thought his heart had stopped too. Arya looked older but she wasn't much taller than when he had seen her last. He supposed she had grown a bit though. He would have to tease her about that. Her hair was tied back and he couldn't help but want to mess it up like he used to, to hear her moan at him but laugh at the same time.

Arya could see Jon's eyes searching her own as she searched his. To see the glimmer of the children they had known before all the shit had happened. It was a staring contest that someone would have to yield but neither wanted to as it would break the spell. They were both oblivious to the rest of the Northern men arriving or Daenerys and her entourage. The staring faces of Davos and Tormund, even Sansa didn't exist. All they could see was each other.

It was Jon who broke first. He blinked and the wondrous, nervous, disbelieving stare ended. His dark eyes widened and gleamed with joy. He smiled as strongly as he had ever done to see his little sister again, alive and well. He noticed the relief that flooded her face as he smiled and wondered what could have made her afraid that he wouldn't be happy to see her. That was a conversation for another time.

Arya saw his relieved smile and finally knew he was happy to see her. Why had she thought he wouldn't be? He was still her big brother, Jon, the brother who gave her Needle and accepted her for who she was. She beamed a larger smile than she could remember in recent times. Seeing Sansa had been a relief and even Bran in his new emotionless state, but she had decided to go north when she had heard from Hot Pie that Jon was back at Winterfell.

Jon started to move towards Arya, his arms open and inviting. Arya had never really cared about decorum so why would she now? She ran at him as fast as she could and launched herself into his arms knowing that he would catch her. He caught her and staggered a couple of steps to find his balance as she hit him at quite a force, but he barely noticed. His arms were wrapped tightly around her back to hold her a close as possible to him. He turned his face so that his cheek brushed the crook of her neck and closed his eyes. His little sister was truly here. Arya was alive.

Arya jumped and wrapped her legs around Jon's waist so that she wouldn't fall if, in the unlikely event, he dropped her. She felt his arms wrap around her back as her chest pressed to his. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and pressed her cheek to his neck. He still smelled like Jon which made her smile and she could feel the stubble of his beard. She could feel the pommel of his sword digging in to her right thigh but she didn't care. Jon was home. The pack was complete.

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 **A/N: I left it there so Jon and Arya were the main focus. The next chapter will go through other reactions to Jon and Arya as well as some of the other reunions. :) Could get slightly complicated.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Apologies for the delay in updates but there are a few health problems in the family at the moment which are providing a large distraction.**

 **This is the reunion chapter and most of it is from Arya's point of view, or my version of it. It does change views a bit with the same scene and different reactions so I hope it is easy enough to follow.**

 **Any problems, let me know. Enjoy. :)**

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Chapter 15

Sansa watched as her siblings stared at each other in what looked like wonder. She knew some of what Arya was feeling as she had searched the faces at Castle Black for Jon, becoming increasingly worried when she couldn't see him, until she did. They were staring at each other for what seemed like minutes but in reality it was probably thirty seconds. Jon's smile lit up his face and Sansa felt somewhat jealous of her sister. She had known that Jon would be happier to see Arya than he had been to see her, but it still stung slightly.

Arya jumped into Jon's arms and Sansa couldn't help but smile. She knew what it felt like to be wrapped in Jon's arms after so long. Their only big brother left. Jon had made her feel safe then and now she was glad he was back, all her annoyances were forgotten, for now. She turned her attention away from Jon and Arya as she realised that Davos and Tormund had entered the courtyard followed by Brienne and Pod and the Northern men who had accompanied Jon to Dragonstone. She also saw a tall, dark haired young man whom she didn't recognise and gasped slightly as she saw the unmistakable figure of the Hound. She had never expected to see him again after he had fled from the Battle of the Blackwater.

Next came what she thought could only be Unsullied soldiers carrying spears and one rider who looked like a Dothraki in a book Sam had shown her. He carried a curved blade and his long, dark hair was in one braid down the centre of his back.

Then, it had to be Daenerys Targaryen. A petite woman with silver blonde hair and a three-headed dragon broach pinned to her chest. She was smaller than Sansa had pictured her but her posture showed her power. This was not a cowering woman, this was a queen. She was beautiful and Littlefinger's comment about Daenerys being unmarried and Jon being unmarried flitted through Sansa's mind. Jon was still a man after all.

Beside Daenerys was a darker skinned woman with dark, curly hair and on the Queen's other side an older man dressed in worn armour. Sansa's stomach dropped as she saw Tyrion ride in looking tired, cold and fully-bearded. She wasn't sure how she felt towards her former husband, well that was to be decided as she never knew if the marriage had been successfully annulled. She wondered whether he had forgiven her for abandoning him at Joffrey's wedding. Would he be angry with her? He was followed by a rather cold and miserable looking Lord Varys. The North was clearly not to the Spider's liking.

Sansa looked back to her siblings to find that they still held each other closely and gently rolled her eyes in amusement.

Daenerys rode through the gates and her eyes were immediately drawn to Jon who appeared to be staring at a young woman before the young woman jumped into his arms. Arya, her mind reminded her before jealousy could rear its head. She looked around and saw a red-haired woman watching them before the woman turned to her. Sansa.

She heard Tyrion's breath hitch slightly as he looked at Sansa and Daenerys remembered him talking about their brief marriage which hadn't been consummated. Tyrion had always insisted, almost aggressively, that the marriage hadn't been consummated and that he had never touched Sansa. Jon had not said much about Sansa's second marriage, only that Ramsay Bolton was now dead after Winterfell had been retaken by the Starks. Sansa's look wasn't entirely cold but it wasn't exactly welcoming either.

Gendry watched Arya and Jon from a distance. She looked a little taller than when he had last seen her but the young woman who had jumped into Jon's arms was clearly Arya. Gendry dismounted his horse and stood next to Davos and slightly behind Tormund as if using the larger man as a shield. He wanted her to notice him, and he didn't. They had parted on a sour note, if he was honest. He had refused to go with her to her family and after what had happened at the Twins, he had thought she was dead. She had been angry with Thoros and Beric for selling him to the witch, he knew that, but he couldn't be sure she would be happy to see him. He knew, though, he was happy to see her.

Jon wasn't sure how long he had been holding Arya but he now felt the gazes of the whole courtyard. He could hear Tormund's distinctive chuckle and Davos was laughing too. Arya's grip was relentless as he looked past her to Sansa who wore a small smile. Jon managed to shift Arya slightly so that his left arm was free and he extended it out to Sansa.

Sansa knew her duty was to greet Daenerys first but the sight of Jon and Arya was too strong and she moved forwards to hug him. She had honestly thought that he wouldn't return after her family's troubles in the south. History told her the Starks were of the North did not fare well in the south.

'I told you I'd come back,' his voice was warm and not accusing.

'You nearly didn't,' she replied sharply but her relief was clear as she felt him squeeze her more tightly.

'He's back now,' Arya murmured from Jon's other shoulder.

'Are you King or not?' Sansa whispered and Jon sighed. She hadn't told anyone about him bending the knee to Daenerys but she needed clarification of his station.

'I am,' he huffed back as Arya giggled. 'Funny is it?' Jon asked as Arya raised her head smiling.

'Yeah,' Arya grinned.

'Shut up,' Jon shook his head as he finally let go of his sisters. 'Where's Bran?' he asked, looking around the courtyard as if Bran would suddenly appear at the mention of his name. Ghost had decided to watch closely instead of including himself in there reunion but once they were apart moved across to be petted by all three of them.

The sisters exchanged a strange glance before Arya answered. 'He's more of a 'he'll see you when he wants to' sort of person now.' Jon frowned slightly as he realised that something had happened to Bran that couldn't have been conveyed in a raven scroll. Sansa had mentioned Bran's ability to warg but Jon feared it was more than that from their expressions.

Jon and Sansa moved towards Daenerys who was still watching them closely. Her jealousy had finally reared its head as she watched Jon and his sisters. He had a true family and they loved him dearly. Envy made her blood boil as she thought of the family she didn't have and never really did. Viserys was all she had for so long but he didn't show her the love Jon's sisters had demonstrated in just one hug. Jon was luckier than he knew.

'Sansa this is Queen Daenerys, Queen Daenerys this is my sister Sansa, the Lady of Winterfell,' Jon introduced them.

Arya couldn't help but describe her emotions at seeing Jon again as giddiness. She had barely registered everyone else who had arrived with Jon, only mapping his features again and registering the scars around his eyes, his hair being tied back and how there was a more upright posture about him, rather than the head bowed and rounded shouldered approach that he had always favoured. Her hand moved subconsciously to Needle and she smiled slightly as she realised that he hadn't noticed, yet.

'Lady Sansa it is a pleasure to meet you,' Daenerys smiled but she was sure it hadn't reached her eyes. She tried to swallow her jealousy about Jon having a family she never could but she didn't think she had quite managed it. She was the last Targaryen.

'Your Grace,' Sansa gave a short, polite curtsey but her eyes were searching with a hint of steel. Daenerys knew that winning over Sansa was going to be difficult. 'Lord Tyrion,' Sansa moved her eye line to look at her former husband.

'Lady Sansa,' Tyrion started but did not complete his sentence as Sansa knelt before him and wrapped her arms around him. For a long time he had been one of the few people who had been kind to her in King's Landing. She had been close to Margery and Shae but Tyrion had been kinder than she had realised at the time. Her marriage to Ramsey had truly shown her that and Tyrion had also been the target of Joffrey's vile games, just like her.

Tyrion felt himself relax slightly as Sansa's arms enveloped him. He was worried how she would react to seeing him but he had been glad to see her alive and she no longer looked like the young girl he had been forced to marry. She truly looked like a young woman, like a lady.

'I'm glad you're alive,' Sansa said quietly. 'That Cersei did not get her way,' she said she pulled away.

'As am I. I rather like my head where it is,' Tyrion quipped before he could stop himself. Sansa chuckled slightly. 'I'm also glad to see you back with your family,' he said quietly and earnestly.

Sansa stood, cursing slightly at the mud on her dress but dirt no longer irked as much as it used to. Arya suddenly pushed past her sister to stand in front of Daenerys.

'Arya Stark,' Arya said and held her hand out. No curtseying from her.

'Queen Daenerys Targaryen,' Daenerys said as she took Arya's hand. There was a sharpness in the younger woman's eyes that made Daenerys want to flinch slightly. Jon had described Arya as being outgoing and far from a lady but he hadn't seen her in many years. Daenerys wondered about this Stark's time away from her home and how she too must have suffered. 'Your brother has told me much about you Lady Arya.'

'Oh, I'm no lady,' Arya replied quickly. Daenerys got the impression that Arya had no time for fancy dresses and the like. 'Just Arya.' Daenerys noticed the weapon's on Arya's belt and was suddenly aware that the woman in front of her was able use them when required.

Daenerys and Arya were interrupted by a cough which didn't conceal the laugh from Jon.

'Shut up!' Arya pushed Jon who was still laughing making him stumble and laugh even more. Jon knew it was hardly kingly to be pushed around by your little sister but at present he didn't actually care. He had missed his little sister and her reactions.

Daenerys looked around her to judge the response of Arya pushing Jon. Surely a king should be shown respect even by his own sister? Missandei had her hand in front of her mouth, trying to conceal her own laugh while Jorah and Tyrion were smiling openly. Varys didn't seem at all amused and just looked cold, but that had been his state from the moment they left the ship in White Harbour. She heard an impatient huff from Sansa but the elder Stark sister was struggling to hide her own smile and Brienne looked highly amused. The Hound had a strange look on his face which was amused and it wasn't, while Tormund and Davos weren't trying to hide their laughter at all. Again, Daenerys was reminded of her status as the last Targaryen. No-one to give her a playful push.

'Careful Jon, that little wolf bites!' Tormund guffawed loudly.

'Yer think?' Jon replied with his own laughter.

Arya knew that pushing Jon like that was not respectful of the station he now held but his reaction gave her hope that, though they had been on terrible paths of their own, they might be able to stay together as the future unfolded. Deep down they were still the children who had played together even though they were now an assassin and a king. They were still Arya and Jon.

The red haired man who had teased Jon had to be Tormund, she deduced. Sansa had told her about the wild, red-haired leader of the remaining Free Folk. She didn't truly know why but she instantly liked him. It was then that she saw him. He almost looked as though he was trying to hide. It was impossible. He was dead. The red witch had taken him away to kill him for some reason.

Gendry felt his breath hitch as Arya finally looked towards where he was standing. Tormund had drawn attention to himself and therefore Arya had looked his way. Gendry internally cursed Tormund for his loudness and reverie. Gendry knew the exact moment when Arya saw him. Her eyes widened in surprise but her face was difficult to read. Did she still hate him? Was she happy to see him?

'Gendry?' Arya asked unsure. Attention turned to where Arya was staring and Gendry wished the ground would open up and swallow him. 'Is that you?'

Tormund moved to the side so Gendry was now in clear view of Arya. Gendry looked up to see Davos smirking and Jon had a smug look on his face. Gendry moved his eyes back to Arya, 'Yeah, it's me,' he managed to choke out.

'But I thought the red witch had killed you,' Arya couldn't believe her eyes. She knew Jon was coming back but she had thought Gendry had died years ago.

'Well, she would have if it hadn't have been for Ser Davos,' Gendry nodded to his side. Davos gave Arya a quick nod and she registered somewhere that the knight was Jon's advisor. This was complicated. 'I thought you were dead...I...I heard what happened at the Twins,' he added tentatively.

'Didn't get there in time,' Arya shrugged. Jon made a mental note to ask when they had some time alone.

A slightly awkward pause followed as the attention of the courtyard was on Gendry and Arya.

'You made it home though,' Gendry said with warmth as he had deduced she wasn't about to start shouting at him angrily.

'Took a while,' Arya shrugged with an air of 'let's talk about it later'.

'M'lady's home,' Gendry teased as he knew much she hated being called a lady.

Arya was quick as a flash and Gendry found Needle's point just below his chin. He looked down tentatively to see the smirk on Arya's face as he raised his hands in surrender. 'I take it back!' Gendry responded quickly but he knew he wasn't really in danger. 'You're not a lady.'

Laughter rang around the courtyard as Sansa sighed and shook her head at her little sister's actions.

'Has anyone ever told you that you shouldn't insult people who are smaller than you?' Arya asked with mirth in her voice.

Gendry finally cracked and laughed loudly as he remembered what he had told her by the stream. She lowered the sword and he looked at it with interest. 'You got Needle back I see,' he said as he continued to look at the sword. She had been very proud of it and had often spoken of her brother who gave to her.

'What?' Jon's surprised voice made Gendry look up. Arya smiled as she held Needle across her palms to show it to her brother. 'How?' Jon looked bewildered.

'Oh, we had to get Needle back,' the Hound's gravelly voice travelled across the courtyard. 'Had to kill five men to get Needle back. To get back the damn sword her bloody brother gave her.'

Jon blinked slightly as he registered Gendry saying they had met the Hound and the scarred man had known Beric and Thoros for a while. He hadn't asked the Hound about Arya but Jon was starting to realise that there was more to the relationship.

Arya felt a jolt surprise at hearing the Hound's voice. She had left him for dead but now he stood in front of her. She didn't hate him, she knew that now. She had, perhaps, known for a while. He had protected her, hadn't abused her and hadn't raped her when nothing would have stopped him. Jaqen had been right when he had detected the lie. The Hound didn't seem angry with her and she wasn't sure why.

Sandor Clegane had watched the sickeningly sweet reunions in front of him. Seeing the 'little bird', Sansa, and then seeing Arya had made him start to wonder if he should have left when he had a chance. He had helped both of the Stark girls, but one had refused to leave with him and the other had left him for dead. Yet, he didn't blame either of them for their actions. They had seen their father beheaded in front of a jeering crowd, lost their mother and brother and, somehow, they still lived.

He knew Arya would see him at some point but that damn sword gave him the moment he was looking for. He registered the surprise on her face and then her mood shifted. There was a smile on her face, she didn't appear angry and that confused him. He walked over to cart and leant against it so that he was in full view of her and waited. He hadn't expected to feel relieved when he saw her. The information from Brienne had calmed him when he found out she was safe but the relief at seeing her was stronger than he had anticipated.

'So, you're still alive then,' Arya spoke calmly and moved a little closer to the Hound with her hands behind her back.

'No thanks to you, you little bitch,' he retorted. Jon felt his body stiffen at the remark to defend his sister but it didn't bother Arya.

'Shall we analyse that,' she smiled.

'What's to analyse, you left me to die!' the Hound could feel his temper rising slightly.

'True,' Arya stopped in front of him with no hint of fear in her eyes. 'But as I recall, you asked me to kill you, using Needle,' she held the sword out. 'If I hadn't left you to die and had done as you asked, you would be dead.'

'She's got you on that one!' Tormund laughed and the Hound glared back.

The Hound considered Arya for a moment. She had left him to die in pain rather than putting him out of his misery, and yet, she was right. He wouldn't be standing in front her now if she had done as he asked. He wasn't sure how he felt about the situation. She was a young girl, now woman, who had so much shit happen to her that he could forgive her for her actions, but she still just left him there at the bottom of a cliff. Didn't look back when she walked away.

'Why?' he finally asked. 'Why didn't you kill me? I was on your damned list.'

'List?' Jon's voice broke the Hound's focus on Arya.

'List of people she's gonna kill. I reckon she's taken some off it,' he looked back at Arya whose smile told him all he needed to know. Yes, she had.

'Meryn Trant, who didn't have any armour, or a big fucking sword...just a wooden stick to beat little girls with,' Arya smiled and the Hound smiled back. He'd always hated Trant. 'Walder Frey and the rest of the Freys. Winter came for House Frey.'

'That was you?!' Tyrion interrupted with shock in his voice. 'You poisoned the Freys?'

'Yes, but I slit Walder Frey's throat first,' Arya answered before hesitantly looking towards Jon. She saw surprise on Jon's face but he seemed to understand her look as he gave her a half smile which reassured her. She hated that she needed reassurance from her brother but she did.

Jon was shocked to hear that Arya had murdered the Freys but he also found that he didn't feel that bad about it after what had happened at the Twins. The Freys got what they deserved. He was starting to realise that Arya had changed a lot while they had been apart but she still looked to him for reassurance. He knew he would always love his little sister, no matter what she had done. He hoped that she would feel the same about him.

'So?' the Hound asked as he found that he really needed to know why she hadn't killed him. She had been capable of doing so, so why hadn't she?

'I took you off it,' she stated simply.

'Why in the seven hells would you do something like that?' he asked exasperatedly.

'At times I still hated you, but I also realised that you weren't the worst shit in the seven kingdoms,' Arya answered. Her own feelings were conflicted about him. She left him die as she knew he would suffer but she couldn't bring herself to kill him either. She didn't find help for him but dealing the final blow would have been harder than she thought. Maybe hate and anger had been her dominant emotions but she also knew it wasn't as simple as that. 'It's...'

'Complicated,' the Hound finished for her. Arya nodded and the Hound nodded back. Their relationship had so many different dynamics that neither of them knew what it was anymore. Sandor knew that he would have to let it go. She had been a child. A terrified, traumatised and abandoned child. Though he wanted to blame her for leaving him, he couldn't hold it against her. She had moved on and so he would too. 'My brother still on yer list?'

'Of course,' she replied immediately with look of disgust.

'I get first go at my brother,' he held his hand out and Arya smiled.

'Done,' she took his hand and shook it. This was their truce. He would not seek revenge on her and she would no longer include him on her 'list'.

The calm of the courtyard was broken as two powerful roars filled the occupants' ears. Drogon and Rhaegal swooped over Winterfell as closely as they dared. Before circling above the castle at a great height. Their power play clearly working.

Daenerys smiled broadly as she watched her sons. The gasps from all around were clear to hear. Only her entourage, and those with Jon who had already seen the dragons, didn't sound surprised.

'Woah!' Arya let out a laugh. Sansa's eyes widened as she saw the dragons for the first time.

'Show offs,' Jon mumbled good naturedly.

'They're dragons, they're meant to show off,' Daenerys smiled at Jon finally feeling some control. Daenerys did not miss Sansa's sour look when Jon smiled back at her. 'Besides, Ghost has been showing off his abilities to sneak up on people.'

'Oh, did he do that thing where he creeps up on you?' Arya asked with enthusiasm.

'Yes,' Daenerys answered trying not to show her amusement. She privately thought that Arya might be easier to win over than Sansa.

'He can't do that to me anymore,' Arya said smugly.

Drogon and Rhaegal flew off and landed nearby after their display which calmed the courtyard again.

'Where's Littlefinger?' Jon suddenly asked, looking around as if the man would suddenly appear. 'Not like him to miss something like this.'

'I slit his throat,' Arya commented off-handedly.

'What?' Jon asked with shock clear in his voice. 'Why?'

'Because I asked her to,' Sansa answered. 'He betrayed father in Kings Landing. He started it all by manipulating Lysa to kill Jon Arryn with Tears of Lys. He killed Lysa when he pushed her through the moon door in the Eyrie.'

'He tried to turn us against each other,' Arya continued. 'And if it hadn't been for Bran, it may worked.'

Jon felt uncomfortable at the mention of Bran. Something had happened but he couldn't ask here.

'The Knights?' Jon asked hoping that they hadn't lost the Vale support. He then remembered he had seen their banners when he rode in.

'Lord Royce has confirmed that they will stay,' Sansa answered.

'Let's get inside,' Jon sighed as he started to make his way to the door and everyone else followed.

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 **A/N: I hope it was easy enough to follow. I see Arya as being very conflicted with how she left the Hound. We know she left him to die and stole his silver, (dead men don't need silver), but we also know from her talks with the Waif that she had taken him off her list and Jaqen had seen through her lie about hating him. I also think he would be very conflicted too, she left him to die but at the Dragonpit it was clear that Brienne had told him what he wanted to know when she told him about Arya.**

 **I feel Arya has matured enough to realise that Gendry couldn't have gone with her and doesn't hold it against him. She was upset when Melisandre took him so I don't think she'd still be angry with him.**

 **I don't see any animosity between Sansa and Tyrion. He was kind to her (in relative terms) and I don't think he would be annoyed that she ran away when she had the chance.**

 **Let me know what you think I got right and what maybe could have happened differently. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi. Apologies for the long wait but the health problems in my family deteriorated at the start of November. A family member has been very sick in hospital, although now they do appear to be recovering slowly. My updates may be rather slow for the near future.**

 **This is a rather shorter chapter than I usually write but I know it has been a while since I updated and I wanted to give you something.**

 **Thank you for your continued support. Any major issues, please let me know.**

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Chapter 16

Theon gasped as he tried to breathe. The water was freezing and he had to get away as soon as he could. There was land beneath him, with water washing over him sporadically and he wasn't quite sure why. He blinked rapidly as his hair dropped icy water into his eyes and, somehow, his hand moved to push his hair away from his eyes to stop the stinging. His head was hurting with a powerful headache and the sun seemed far too bright to see, so he closed his eyes.

He heard coughing and spluttering around him and forced his eyes open. He saw the rest of the crew from the ship splayed out across the beach in varying crumpled forms, but all of them seemed to moving and groaning which Theon took to be a good sign. They were alive at least. Then he remembered.

They had been caught in a powerful storm as they headed from the Iron Islands towards the North and the ship had wrecked on some rocks in shallow waters. Due to the ferocity of the storm they had lost their bearings and now Theon wasn't sure where they were.

After the search of the Iron Islands, Theon had decided, rather reluctantly, that he would be unable to find Yara. Euron clearly had her somewhere, most likely on his ship, and Theon had no idea what his uncle was doing or where he was. He suspected that Euron's act at the Dragonpit had been a way to hide Cersei's true intentions from Daenerys and Jon and that the agreement was not what it seemed. Theon realised that he should have known better than to think his uncle would run away when power and murder were within his grasp.

He knew that Daenerys and Jon were heading for Winterfell so he had decided to sail back North. In many respects, back home, but he doubted any of his 'family' would see it that way anymore. Jon had at least left him with some hope with their talk in the throne room on Dragonstone and Sansa had parted with him on decent terms. Bran, and especially Arya, would be more difficult to convince of his remorse for his actions, he was sure of that. His eyes started to adjust and he pulled himself into a kneeling position to look around. They were on a shoreline somewhere in the North if the snow covered pine trees nearby were an accurate indication.

Theon knew they had to find a town or village quickly, otherwise they were likely to freeze to death but the North was unlikely to be welcoming to Iron Islanders and especially Theon Greyjoy.

* * *

Jon made his way through the familiar corridors as he headed for the Great Hall. His adrenaline was waning now that he had reunited with Arya but his mind keep flitting to Bran and his sisters' description of their brother. What could possibly have happened to him?

Daenerys followed Jon closely, looking around as they walked through the halls. The glamour of Dragonstone was missing but she felt that Winterfell was never meant to show off power and glamour, just to be fit for purpose. There were many servants running around who were doing their best not to stare at her and completely failing.

Jon was enquiring about food rations and the number of people currently housed at Winterfell with Sansa. Sansa's clipped tones told her that the Lady of Winterfell wished talk about these things more privately and probably not in the presence of the Targaryen Queen.

Jon wasn't looking where he was going as he tried to pry information out of Sansa. He understood her reticence to speak in front of Daenerys and her party but he was too tired to really care about such things. Suddenly, he bumped into someone who staggered back from him.

'Sorry,' he mumbled quickly before he looked up to see who he had nearly sent sprawling. He blinked as he saw the person, she was supposed to be in the south.

'Gilly?' Jon asked looking surprised while Gilly smiled back.

'Hello Jon,' she replied before looking nervous. 'I mean...Your Grace.'

'No need for the title, Gilly. Bar a few, you've known me longer than most people here,' he responded quickly. His eyes drifted down to her feet as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. 'That is never Little Sam?' Jon looked at the little boy stood holding his mother's hand.

'He's much bigger than when you last saw him,' Gilly chuckled slightly before looking nervously at the crowd. Her eyes found Sansa whose calm smile helped ease her nerves.

'Gah,' the little boy said as he outstretched his hand. Ghost pushed past Jon none too gently, while others who had seen the direwolf approach had moved out of the way quickly.

'That's Ghost,' Gilly said as she crouched down beside her son.

'Gah,' he said again as Ghost lowered his nose so the little boy could touch.

Jon watched in surprise as the wolf and the boy seemed to enjoy each other's company. He couldn't help but wonder how Ghost would react to his own child, but Daenerys had said she couldn't have children. He wasn't sure he believed that but a son or daughter of his own could now be a possibility and for the first time a child was something he felt he wanted.

Daenerys watched the little boy with her thoughts turning to Rhaego. She hadn't even seen him after he was born and, though she had heard that he wasn't a formed baby, she remembered seeing him with Drogo in the House of the Undying. Was that even real?

Jon knelt as the little boy continued to prod Ghost, with the direwolf completely unconcerned. The boy turned his attention to Jon and plodded towards the King. Jon took Little Sam in his arms and the little boy squealed with delighted making his mother laugh.

'I thought you were staying with Sam's family?' Jon asked as he held Little Sam.

'That was the plan but...it didn't work out,' Gilly shrugged looking nervous.

'Is Sam here?' Jon asked with hope in his voice. The tone did not go unnoticed by Gilly as she smiled at Jon with a knowing look.

'Of course he is,' she replied, making Jon smile almost as broadly as he had to see Arya. Little Sam made a grabbing motion towards his mother and Jon carefully handed the child over to Gilly.

Jon failed to notice the warm gazes of his sisters or the tentative, and slightly fearful, gaze of Daenerys.

Jon led the way towards the hall with a purpose in his stride. Though they were not blood related, Sam had become a brother to Jon in every way. He trusted, cared and would always protect Sam, as he would with any of his other siblings. In many ways they couldn't be more different, with Jon being the man of action who could wield a sword as if he was born to it, while Sam was the studier who could read all night and take in a lot of information in one reading and find the parts relevant to the task at hand.

Jon walked through the doorway to the hall and couldn't suppress the chuckle under his breath. Sam was sat at the main table hunched over with a frown upon his face reading a book. Typical Samwell Tarly.

* * *

Sam heard the noise of many footsteps approaching as he continued to read, wondering who it might be. Unlike Maester Aemon, he was not adept at identifying the owners of footsteps but these sounded heavier than the footfalls of the Stark ladies. He had heard the commotion from the courtyard and suspected that Jon may have finally returned and then he heard the unmistakable chuckle. Sam raised his eyes from the book he was reading and saw he best friend, more like brother, standing at the other side of the hall. Jon looked different somehow. Not just the lack of Night's Watch black and his hair scraped away from his face, but something else.

Bran had told him all about Jon's death at the hands of the Night's Watch betrayers and Sam had cried in his chamber afterwards with Gilly beside him. Not because Jon died, but how his friend had been killed by those who could not see past their hatred of the Wildlings, when Jon had seen the bigger threat to them all. Bran had also informed him of Jon's resurrection at the hands of Melisandre and Sam had feared that his brother would never be the same man. He had known something had to have happened for Jon to take back Winterfell and be named King in the North, deserting the Night's Watch in the process. Now he knew what he had always known...that Jon would never desert his post as Lord Commander, unless something terrible had happened.

Sam stood and quickly moved around the table as Jon strode towards him with a smile.

'Jon,' Sam smiled back.

'Sam,' Jon murmured as they embraced. It had felt so long for both of them since they had last seen each other. A lot had happened that they would need to discuss but, for now, they were a reassuring presence to each other. That the world wasn't completely shit...yet.

'What are you doing here, Sam?' Jon asked as they drew apart.

'Figured I would be more use to you here than I was in Oldtown,' Sam shrugged but Jon knew Sam well enough to know there was more but before he could ask Sam had noticed someone else over Jon's shoulder.

'Ser Jorah,' Sam moved towards the knight and extended his hand with a smile. 'You found her then?' he nodded towards Daenerys as Jorah shook the hand of the man who had saved him from certain death.

'I did. Thanks to you,' the old bear smiled back.

'Your Grace,' Sam gave a nod as he spoke to the Queen but did not bow.

'How do you two know each other?' she asked curiously.

Jorah stood by Sam's side before he spoke. 'My Queen, this is the man who saved my life,' he declared boldly. 'The only man willing to try and cure my Greyscale. He succeeded, as you know.' Sam blushed under the praise but he couldn't think of any way to contradict what Jorah had said. He glanced at Jon and wished he hadn't, as Jon wore a knowing smirk on his face.

'Then I must thank you for bringing him back to me,' Daenerys smiled as she stepped closer to Sam.

'No need,' Sam mumbled but didn't dare look the Queen in the eyes.

'What is your name?' Daenerys asked as she stopped in front of Sam.

'Samwell Tarly, Your Grace,' he answered and her heart froze at his words.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry to leave it on a bit of a cliffhanger but it was this or maybe not update for a bit longer. I hope you forgive me.**

 **I read all reviews and I hope at some point to reply to the one's already given for the last chapter as well as this one.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Just to let you know, the family member who was in hospital came home on Christmas Eve (Yes, that stressed me out a lot!) and they are slowly recovering. They still require a fair bit of help but hopefully they will recover well with time. :)**

 **This chapter is back to my usual length and as always any major mistakes let me know. I hope it flows ok.**

 **There is a bit of swearing but this is GoT so...**

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Chapter 17

Daenerys froze as the man said his name. 'Tarly'. She knew instantly that this man was a relative of Randyll Tarly whom she had burned when he wouldn't bend the knee after he was defeated in the battle. He was also a clear friend of Jon's, judging by their greeting to each other moments earlier. She doubted that this man knew the truth about what had happened to his family and she knew she would now have to defend her actions.

The worst thing was not the judgement she would receive, she could defend that, nor that this man, Samwell Tarly, was Jon's friend. The worst part was that this man had saved Jorah's life and it appeared that she had executed his family.

She felt rather than saw Tyrion fidgeting next to her and the weight of the eyes of the room were suddenly upon her.

'What's happened?' Sam asked as he looked towards Jon for an explanation. Many thoughts raced through Sam's mind when he noticed the Dragon Queen's eyes widen and her body stiffen when he had said his name. Had his father done something he was unaware of? Were his mother and sister ok? Was his brother ok? Was Horn Hill still standing?

Sam felt disappointed when Jon looked as confused as him. Jon looked to Sansa and instantly knew that something terrible had occurred, Sansa's grim expression told him that. Jon turned to Daenerys and he could see her hesitancy while Tyrion was staring at the floor and wringing his hands. Varys had a calmer expression but Jon soon realised it was a 'I knew this would come back to haunt us' expression.

Sam started to look around the room in a slight panic in the hope that someone would answer his asked and unasked questions. Gilly was suddenly by his side and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze as she sensed his turmoil growing.

'Does someone want to tell us what has happened?' Jon asked with the authority of command in his voice that made it clear he expected an answer. Sam gave Jon a look of thanks and Jon barely nodded his head in return. 'Daenerys?'

Daenerys heard the lack of formality, as well as the lack of warmth she so often heard when he called her Dany rather than Daenerys. The command in Jon's voice was powerful and resounded around the hall making her bristle slightly. She was used to giving commands, not receiving them but Jon's tone had made it clear he wanted an answer. She raised her eyes to his and wished she hadn't as his brown eyes looked almost black and full of ice. This was the 'king' in Jon that expected to be obeyed, again she bristled. She scolded herself for letting his tone subdue her momentarily, she was the last Targaryen, she was a dragon and she was fire. She had nothing to feel guilty for and Jon would understand. She was about to answer when some else spoke.

'My apologies, Sam. I thought you knew,' Sansa spoke as she moved towards Sam with a sombre expression.

'Please tell me,' Sam said beseechingly as he started to fear the worst. Jon moved silently to Sam's side in support.

Sansa's gaze turned towards Daenerys and Daenerys felt the full glare of Sansa Stark. Icy blue orbs stared at the Dragon Queen and Daenerys wondered if this was a 'Stark' trait having seen a similar stare in Jon's eyes just moments before.

'I'm sorry Sam, but your father and brother are dead,' Sansa spoke to Sam but her eyes did not leave Daenerys. 'She burned them alive.'

The hall at Winterfell suddenly became several degrees colder as Sansa finished speaking. Sam felt himself deflate as he heard that his father and brother were dead. While he had not been on good terms with his father, and Dickon had always taken his father's side, the revelation was a shock and Sam instantly thought about his mother and sister alone at Horn Hill.

'I take it they did not die in the battle,' it was more of a statement than a question from Jon. He had moved his arm around Sam in support but his eyes were on Daenerys.

Daenerys pushed her shoulders back and took a step forward. She had nothing to feel guilty about and a large part of her resented the fact she was now about to justify her actions.

'I gave them the choice. They were defeated. Bend the knee or die,' she stared Jon in the eyes. She would not be cowed. 'They chose to die.'

After a lengthy pause where Jon's eyes did not leave Daenerys', neither willing to give any ground, Jon spoke. 'Then perhaps I should be thankful you didn't leave me with that choice, for I would not be stood here today if you had.'

The implication of Jon's words reverberated around the hall and most of all with Daenerys. She could see that he was angry for his friend and a part of her doubted that he was telling the truth. The other part, however, knew that he was.

Jon could feel his anger rising at the hurt that Sam had been caused by his family's tragedy at the hands of Daenerys. He knew his emotions were getting in the way but Sam was his first priority now. His friend had been through so much and had come back to help, Jon could only think of Sam.

'Sam,' Jon looked to his friend. 'Send a raven to Horn Hill immediately and check on your mother and sister.' Sam nodded and fled the hall with Gilly in tow. Jon had rarely seen Gilly scowl but she looked positively angry as she followed Sam with Little Sam in her arms.

Once Sam had left, Jon turned to Daenerys' entourage. 'Nobody told me this!' he raged. His anger for his friend, along with the stress of everything he knew was coming, was getting the better of him. 'You made me look like a fool when I didn't know something as important as that!'

Tyrion stepped forward as if to answer but Daenerys beat him to it. 'It wasn't yours to know,' she snarled back. 'That battle was nothing to do with you! I do not have to defend my actions to you!'

'You have no idea how difficult it will be to get the Northern Lords to trust you now,' Jon retorted.

'May I-' Tyrion tried to interrupt.

'How about the fact I'm here to help them?' Daenerys growled.

'Your Grace-' Varys raised his voice to no avail.

'Help them otherwise you'll burn them?' Jon roared.

Sansa and Arya exchanged worried looks at the blazing row now erupting in the hall. Someone, no-one was sure who, had at least shut the door but the whole castle would surely hear the raised voices.

'They should be grateful I'm here!' Daenerys shouted as Ghost moved to Jon's side.

'This is your fight too. You can't-'

'You're the one who came to me and needed my armies and dragons,' Daenerys reminded Jon.

'You should have told me of this. You kept this from me because you knew I wouldn't approve,' Jon countered.

'Since when do **I** need **your** approval?' Daenerys asked with a humourless laugh.

'You don't, but not telling me makes your ally look like fool,' Jon reasoned.

'ENOUGH!' roared Davos making everyone stare at the Onion Knight as he moved between the two warring monarchs. 'This is neither the time nor the place. I suggest that you both calm down...away from each other.'

'Agreed,' Tyrion nodded towards Davos followed by a glare towards Daenerys and Jon.

Jon turned on his heel and stormed out of the hall followed by Ghost and moments later, Arya.

Daenerys felt like her head was spinning. She was angry at Jon for not trusting her and now making her appear to be wrong in front of his people. She tried to calm herself by breathing deeply and looked to Missandei who offered her a warm smile. She looked to Jorah but found him looking sad and somewhat confused. She suspected that his gratefulness to Sam was one of the reasons why he was conflicted. Her arrival at Winterfell had gone relatively smoothly until the meeting with Samwell Tarly, but now all she wanted to do was curl up in bed.

'Let me show you to your rooms,' Sansa spoke politely and with a smile that did not reach her eyes. Daenerys also sensed a hint of pride in Sansa's eyes, a sister's pride in her brother.

As Daenerys and her entourage finally left the hall, the Hound commented, 'Anybody else wish the old man hadn't shut 'em up? It was getting good,' he laughed.

Pod failed to hide his snort of laughter while Brienne tried to hide her smile from behind her hand. Gendry seemed to be watching the door Jon and Arya had left the hall through and was unaware of the Hound's remark.

'Can't say it was uneventful,' Pod chuckled under his breath.

'I don't think I've ever seen Jon quite so animated,' Brienne quipped. She had been watching Sansa and Arya as the row had continued and saw the pride in the young women's faces as Jon stood his ground. She had heard about the Tarly's but it had never occurred to her that Jon didn't know.

'Well, with what they've been doing horizontally...he would have to move some, wouldn't he?' Tormund chuckled and then laughed harder at Brienne's responding glare.

'Right,' the Hound bristled slightly. 'Where the fuck am I sleepin'?'

* * *

Jamie was wandering through thick snow that covered his knees and continually made him stumble. His thin cloak wasn't warm enough as he wrapped his arms around him in an effort to stave off the cold. His golden hand was frozen and he could barely feel his left hand at all. The wind was whipping snow into his face as he continued to trudge further forward to where he knew not. He was looking for something but he wasn't sure what it was. No, it was someone he was looking for.

Suddenly, a few feet to his right a creature came into view. It had moved silently and stealthily but it seemed uninterested in him. It was a direwolf as big as a horse. Covered in white fur, it turned to Jamie and Jamie could see the bright red of its eyes. This was Jon Snow's direwolf he knew, but he wasn't sure how he knew.

The wind whipped again and a figure stood with their back to him. Jamie began to smile as he knew who the figure was just from her shape and the way she stood. He approached slowly so as not to startle her.

'Brienne,' he called but she did not turn. He frowned and called again, 'Brienne.'

Slowly, the figure turned and Jamie heard himself gasp. It was Brienne...but it wasn't. Her eyes were bright blue. Well, her eyes had always been blue but this was a brilliant, bright blue that was not her normal colour. Brienne opened her mouth to speak but all Jamie heard was a high-pitched screech, like the one that had come from the wight Jon Snow had brought to the Dragon Pit.

Jamie stumbled backwards through the thick snow as he tried to flee but Brienne tackled him to the ground which he hit with a loud thump.

Jamie's eyes sprang open as he gasped for breath. He looked around to find he was in one of the cabins on the ship. It was a dream. He groaned as he shifted himself to sit on the floor with his back to the bed. He was shivering and he had noticed how the air was getting colder every day they travelled further north.

'What the fuck you doin' in 'ere?' Bronn barged through the door without knocking, staring at Jamie who had just stood from where he had been seated.

'What d'you mean?' Jamie asked as innocently as he could.

Bronn looked around the room and saw the dishevelled state of the bed and how the furs were half on the bed and half on the floor.

'Fell out of bed, huh?' Bronn was grinning but he wasn't milking it as much as Jamie had expected.

'Yes,' Jamie confirmed with a huff.

'Wasn't about your sister?' Bronn asked with a hint of worry. Jamie knew that Bronn was worried that he might try and return to Cersei. That ship had sailed.

'No,' Jamie shook his head as he answered. Definitely not her.

'Right,' Bronn said with a knowing grin that made Jamie want to punch him. 'Food'll be ready soon,' Bronn left swiftly leaving Jamie to dress.

As Jamie finished dressing he wondered why he had dreamt of Brienne rather than Cersei. Cersei had always been at the forefront of his dreams but Brienne had taken his sister's place. He remembered Brienne's blues eyes that were nothing like the ones in his dream and her voice saying his name. In truth he already knew the answer, well the tightness in his breeches did.

* * *

Jon was furious as he almost pushed his door off its hinges as he entered Robb's old room. Ghost trotted in behind him before Jon slammed the door. He wasn't sure what annoyed him more: Sam's turmoil at what had happened to his family or the fact that he had known nothing of this and would somehow have to convince the stubborn Northern Lords that Daenerys was essential in their battle against the Night King. What a mess.

Jon sighed heavily and sat down on side the bed facing the door, running his fingers through his hair. Ghost jumped up on the bed behind him and was large enough to encircle Jon with his body so Jon could lean back on his friend for reassurance as he ran his hands over his face.

The door opened while Jon's hands still covered his eyes but Jon instantly knew who it was.

'You never learned to knock then?' he asked teasingly.

'Not when it comes to your room,' Arya answered before shutting the door and plonking herself down next to him. Ghost moved his back legs to accommodate her and Jon leant forward again.

Jon let out an amused snort at her answer. A comfortable silence washed over them as they both enjoyed each other's presence.

Arya broke the quiet, 'For what it's worth, we need her if we want to survive.'

'You agree?' Jon looked to his little sister.

'I've been talking to the Wildlings,' Arya gave a non-committal shrug. 'They saw what happened at Hardhome and they know we need more men, dragonglass and valyrian steel. She brings two of those.'

'But after this,' he spread his hands a hopeless gesture. 'How do I convince the Northern Lords that we still need her? You know what they're like.'

'You remind them that you are the king they chose and you have seen what is coming,' Arya responded strongly.

'So has she,' Jon added.

'Then they need to know that. Sansa and I will back you all way. We are the wolves of Winterfell,' Arya concluded as she stood from the bed. 'Also, I don't mind,' she said cryptically with a grin.

'What?' Jon asked hesitantly.

'That you're bedding Daenerys,' Arya smirked before leaving the room.

'Noooo,' Jon groaned as he leant back on Ghost again. 'Is it that obvious?' he asked the wolf who just blinked in response.

* * *

Daenerys followed Sansa silently to the guest rooms of Winterfell. Sansa, rather purposefully, had explained that Daenerys would have the best guest room while the family rooms were in a different part of the castle. Daenerys felt that she was deliberately being separated from Jon, although she knew that couldn't be because of the argument they just had. She and Missandei entered her room to find it pleasant enough but nothing like her room at Dragonstone.

'I hope you will be comfortable, Your Grace,' Sansa gave a small smile which didn't reach her eyes, again. 'You should rest before the feast,' she recommended before turning and leaving Daenerys to show the rest of Daenerys' entourage to their rooms.

Daenerys scowled as she sat on the bed, realising that the castle was completely foreign to her and she had no-one to guide her. She had hoped that Jon would show her around but that seemed unlikely now and she wasn't sure she wanted to mingle with the Northern Lords and Ladies without Jon, or even one of his sisters around.

'Your Grace, shall I see if I can get some water for a bath?' Missandei asked tentatively.

'Yes, please,' Daenerys answered with a sigh.

A knock on the door made them both stare towards the wooden door with unease.

'Your Grace, may I speak with you?' Tyrion's voice was muffled through the door but instantly recognisable. Daenerys gave a nod towards Missandei who opened the door so that Tyrion, followed by Varys and Jorah all entered the room. 'Well, it isn't Dragonstone but it is at least taking the chill off,' he tried to joke.

'How can Jon act like that?!' she roared as she stood from the bed and started to pace. 'He humiliated me in front of his sisters.'

'Give Jon time to calm down,' Tyrion sighed.

'He must also have felt terrible for his friend,' Varys suggested softly. 'He had no idea of what had occurred.'

'Am I supposed to tell Jon everything?' she asked incredulously. 'When that happened we were not allies.' Daenerys missed the look that passed between Tyrion and Varys.

'The Northerners will use this against you, Your Grace,' Jorah spoke softly yet everyone in the room heard him clearly. 'I don't think you understand the damage this could do.'

'They do not judge me and my choices,' Daenerys replied stubbornly.

'But they do!' Jorah responded with worry in his voice. 'You know what your father did to Rickard and Brandon Stark He may have used wildfire but you used your dragons. The North has suffered at the hands of the Targaryens and it won't take them long to judge you as your father's daughter. The people judge those ruling them, especially the nobility. You will now have a hard time convincing them you are different.'

'I am not my father!' Daenerys could feel her temper rising.

'We know that,' Tyrion interrupted. 'But the Northerners do not. I should have advised you to tell King Jon as it would have prepared him to help fight the backlash from this. It is very unfortunate that Samwell Tarly is King Jon's friend and that will cloud his judgement for a short while.'

'The King in the North knows that you are not your father,' Varys said smoothly while Daenerys glared at the comparison once again, 'but we could have done with a plan in place to tackle this.'

'I should not have to explain myself,' Daenerys was frustrated at the situation. 'I have come here to help and save my people.'

'But they are not your people,' Jorah moved closer to Daenerys. 'The North will cling to the Starks now more than ever. They will never truly trust a Targaryen and King Jon finds himself in a very difficult situation. He knows that we need to work together but they are stubborn sons of bitches in the North.'

'Solutions?' Daenerys looked around her council hoping that someone would come up with a way to fix this.

'You follow Jon,' Jorah said quietly.

'What?' Daenerys looked at Jorah with surprise. Was he suggesting what she thought?

'What Jorah means is that Jon must make the final decisions about the plan against the Army of the Dead,' Tyrion quickly reassured. 'He must be seen to make the final decision. You can talk in private about strategy as I'm sure we will but he must be the one to give the commands. The Northern Lords will accept nothing less.'

Daenerys knew that Tyrion was serious by his facial expression as her insides squirmed at giving up the final say. She was the rightful Queen and should have the final say on matters but she was staring to understand what Ser Davos had said when she had first met Jon in the throne room on Dragonstone. The North would not bow easily, as its king had already shown.

'King Jon will no doubt find a way to soothe the Lords but we must be ready for the accusations that are thrown our way,' Varys simpered. 'We need to use the fact that you want to help them and have brought your armies and dragons to help and not conquer. We must also remind them that you lost a dragon helping the King in the North. However, the fact that that dragon felled the Wall may make it difficult to see the positive side.'

Deep breaths were inhaled and exhaled all around as all the occupants of the room knew that it would be a hard sell.

* * *

Sam was sitting at the desk he had asked to be moved into his and Gilly's room when he had arrived at Winterfell. He had penned the raven he would send to Horn Hill many times over as, for once, he had struggled with how to write it.

'Sam, just ask them if they are ok?' Gilly said quietly as she watched him write and then screw up the paper again and again. Little Sam was asleep in his cot that he was rapidly growing out of.

Sam didn't respond and snatched another piece of paper as Gilly sighed and shook her head.

There was a knock at the door which Sam resolutely ignored so Gilly crossed the room to open it. She didn't say a word but opened the door fully to allow the person inside the room.

'Sam?' Jon asked as Ghost also made his way into the room and Gilly spared a look to Little Sam before leaving and shutting the door quietly.

After a moment's pause Sam answered, 'I'm okay, Jon.'

'No, you're not,' Jon replied instantly as he dragged the other chair in the room next to Sam's and sat down. 'I'm sorry you found out like that. I didn't know.'

'It's not your fault,' Sam tried to smile and failed. 'You know that my father wasn't exactly loving, well at least not to me. Dickon was a good fighter but he would do whatever my father did. Probably why he died beside him.'

'I'm sorry,' was all Jon could say as he rubbed his eyes with his hands.

'We need Daenerys,' Sam's voice grew stronger. 'We both know that we don't stand a chance without her armies or her dragons. I follow you Jon and I know you'll do what you think is best.' Jon looked up to see a strange expression on Sam's face.

'What?' Jon asked warily as the look reminded him of the look on Arya's face earlier.

'She is beautiful,' Sam could help but grin.

'Not you as well,' Jon groaned.

'I know you too well, Jon,' Sam laughed at his friend's discomfort. 'Good thing Ygritte taught you where to put it.'

Jon was lightning fast as he snatched the quill from Sam and started tickling Sam's neck with it.

'Jon stop,' Sam cried between his laughter. 'Please, mercy, Your Grace. I take it back.' Jon finally stopped tickling Sam as both men tried to get their breathing under control after their laughter. Such a rare thing to hear at such a time of darkness.

'Don't ever call me, 'Your Grace', in private again,' Jon threatened brandishing the feather as a weapon. A rather pathetic weapon when Longclaw was strapped to waist.

Little Sam cried out as he was woken by the laughter and Sam instantly moved to pick him up and started to soothe him. Once Little Sam was quiet Sam asked, 'What happened at Castle Black?'

Jon grimaced at the question, 'Another time,' he said before moving towards the door with Ghost in tow. 'Another time,' he repeated before he left.

* * *

Howland Reed had been riding almost continuously since he had received the raven from Brandon Stark. He had already changed horses twice and he knew Meera wasn't looking forward to seeing Bran again, even though she had insisted that she wanted to come. He knew that the Long Night was close as the days grew shorter and the nights started to last too long. The knowledge which he had kept secret for 20-odd years was about to be revealed and Howland hadn't been sure the day would ever come, but it had arrived.

He had kept in contact with Ned over the years, enquiring about 'Jon' and his abilities. Ned had disclosed that Jon was a good swordsman but a rather brooding child. Wylla rode beside him, perhaps even more anxious to see the man the child she had nursed had become. The king he had become. They would reach Winterfell on the morrow and then the troubles would begin as one of the greatest secrets in Westeros would be revealed.

* * *

 **A/N: In many ways this chapter is harsher on Dany than I meant it to be. I do think there will need to be an initial conflict over the burning of the Tarly's. I know Daenerys doesn't like beheading as the Dothraki believe that it kills the soul but there is a parallel between her burning the Tarly's with Drogon and the Mad King. At least that is what the Northern Lords are going to see as we know they are suspicious from the beginning.**

 **I also believe that Jon doesn't know. No-one on Dragonstone is going to mention it to him and he hardly has time to hear it in passing, hence why he acts the way he does. Sam is his best friend (and Randyll Tarly would have been shocked that his first son was best friends with a king).**

 **Whether it was done on purpose by the writers I don't know, but Daenerys' 'bend the knee' thing got very irritating very quickly (I do like Daenerys) as she seemed to forget how she won support of the people in Dragon's Bay. I feel she would have done better with some good propaganda being spread by Varys' little birds about how she was a better queen than Cersei rather than demanding that she was 'the rightful Queen' and acting like a conqueror (yes, Daario is probably right there) from the start. Emphasise why she was better and then battle consequences often have a different feel when you have a better opinion of the person to start with. I'm not sure if it was written like that on purpose or not and it's just my opinion. Anyway, let me know what you think whether something like will happen or that the show will just forget it. :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello. I know it has been forever since I last updated and I'm sure many of you thought I had given up on this fic. Many things have gotten in the way of my writing, including a troll who as a guest decided almost every other day to comment on all (I do mean all) of my fics that I couldn't write at all and how everything I wrote was awful and I shouldn't bother. Being a guest they couldn't found so that did get to me a lot. To guests whose comments may not have appeared, I may have accidently deleted some proper guest comments by mistake, so I do apologise if that was you.**

 **Also, since season 8 was shown I lost a bit of my enthusiasm. The season was so different to how I imagined and, while their were scenes I liked, most of the time I didn't really get the decisions that were made. They were made though and that is that. This will be completely AU now. There may be some scenes that I liked that I might re-work but essentially my story will finish completely differently.  
**

 **I am aware that I caused a bit of a stir with how I portrayed Sam's reaction to Daenerys burning his family. In this chapter I have tried to address how I saw it, but after this chapter it won't feature much as I have planned it. (It may be mentioned in a later chapter depending on how I write it.)**

 **This chapter is me trying to get back into writing and knowing where I am so it is a bit of a filler.**

 **I hope you stick with me on this and I hope to update more regulaly from now on.**

* * *

Chapter 18

Jon left Sam's room, ironically his old room, and went in search of Bran. Ghost had decided not to follow him and set off in the opposite direction. He was aching to see his little brother again but he was also wary after his sisters' description of their brother. Jon knew Bran could warg as Sansa had said so in her raven, but he sensed there was something else to it. He found Bran in his old room sitting by the fire in a wheeled chair.

'Hello Jon,' Bran said tonelessly as Jon entered the room. Jon wondered how Bran knew it was him as his little brother was currently staring at the fire.

Jon moved in front of Bran to look at his brother properly. Bran offered the smallest of smiles while Jon's was much wider. Jon sank to his knees and embraced the brother he thought he had lost north of the Wall. Bran returned Jon's embrace but Jon knew something wasn't quite right with his little brother. Something had changed.

Jon sat down in the other chair by the fire which looked as though it had been placed there purposefully.

'The last time I saw you was in this room and you were still asleep after your fall,' Jon reminisced about the moment he said goodbye to Bran. He decided not to mention Catelyn's disgust at seeing him there.

'That wasn't the last time I saw you,' Bran answered. Jon was instantly on guard at Bran's statement. Obviously, Bran was asleep when Jon last saw him so the last time Bran saw Jon would have been before that, Jon reasoned, but Jon had a feeling Bran meant he had seen him since then.

'What d'you mean?' Jon asked hesitantly, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer.

'I saw you after Rickon and I escaped Winterfell. You were with Tormund and Ygritte,' Bran stated with little emotion. Jon wondered how Bran could have known about Ygritte as he never mentioned her and very few people even knew of the link between them. 'You fought to escape and I managed to warg into Summer who attacked some of the wildings and stopped them finding us in the windmill.'

Jon's mind was a whir as he thought back to his escape from Tormund and the other wildlings south of the Wall. He vaguely remembered two wolves attacking the wildlings aiding his escape and, now when he truly thought about it, the animals had been very familiar. Jon sighed and groaned as he realised how close he had been to Bran and Rickon. If he had known he would have done anything he could to keep them safe.

'I should've realised,' Jon muttered into his hands. Rickon may yet be alive if he had.

'You are not to blame Jon,' Bran said in a matter-of-fact monotone. 'That wasn't the last time I saw you though.' A hint of emotion crept across Bran's eyes as he spoke, as if remembering an emotional time.

'Where?' Jon asked already knowing the answer. There was only place it could be.

'Craster's Keep,' Bran answered and Jon nodded to himself. 'I called to you but you didn't hear.' Jon's head shot up at Bran's words. 'It's ok. I decided to continue my journey as you would have taken me back to Castle Black to keep me safe.'

'I would,' Jon agreed, 'but...that wasn't what you wanted.' Bran shook his head as if to confirm Jon's words. 'You can warg,' Bran nodded, 'what else can you do?' Jon asked.

'I'm a greenseer,' Bran answered.

'You can see things?' Jon looked slightly confused having only really heard the term when he had been with the wildlings. He hadn't taken much notice, if he was honest.

'I can see the past and the present and hopefully I may be able to see the future. I am the Three-Eyed-Raven,' Bran's monotone was starting to unnerve Jon. Where was the joyful little brother he had once known?

'The Free Folk say the Three-Eyed-Raven is very powerful,' Jon looked hesitantly towards Bran.

'He was. I must now try to increase my power as the Night King also has access to the Weirwoods and he may be able to see the future too,' Bran explained.

Jon felt his brain had turned to mashed potato as he tried to understand what Bran had said and therefore implied.

'Does that mean that the Night King can see the future?' Jon found himself asking. It would explain many things. How the Night King arrived at exactly the right time to be seen at Hardhome and when Jon had ventured beyond the Wall. Did that mean the Night King planned it so he would be able to kill a dragon?

'I don't know,' Bran said emotionlessly as her turned away and looked towards the fire. 'Jon...there is something I must tell you but it will have to wait until tomorrow.'

Bran didn't move as he continued to stare at the fireplace and Jon realised that he was dismissed.

* * *

Daenerys didn't like the idea that the Northern Lords and Ladies would be scrutinizing her every move but she held her head high and pushed her shoulders back in an effort to show she would not be cowed and strode purposefully towards the main hall of Winterfell. She had not heard from Jon since their argument earlier and that seemed to trouble Tyrion in particular. The noise from the main hall was already audible as she approached and she could hear that the voices weren't in a very friendly tone. As she entered the hall a hush fell upon the room as all eyes turned to her. She had changed from her arrival attire of the warm, white coat but she wore more layers than she was used to. The hall looked cramped with the amount of people present but she was happy to see that a number of her Unsullied were standing guard around the edge of the room. The main table at Winterfell had four chairs placed facing towards the hall and with their backs to the fireplace. The two centre chairs were different, slightly larger than the rest, and Daenerys deduced that they were for her and Jon. She immediately realised that only one of her council would be able to sit at the table and the glares of the Northern Lords meant that she felt out of place.

Suddenly, the occupants of the room, barring Tormund and a few others she assumed were wildlings, stood in unison. Jon entered the hall with a swish of his cloak as Sansa, Arya and Ser Davos followed. Bran was pushed into the hall in his wheelchair by Maester Wolkan.

'Apologies for the delay, my Lords and Ladies,' Jon announced. 'There has been much to do since I arrived.' Many of the lords, especially Lord Manderly, could be heard chuckling well-manneredly at Jon's words.

Jon then pulled out the larger chair on the left-hand side of the table from his point of view and looked to Daenerys. His eyes were no longer as cold as they had been, but they didn't hold the warmth that she was used to seeing. As she sat down, Tyrion took the chair next to Daenerys. The long table in front of her and to her left accommodated Ser Jorah, Varys and Missandei with Grey Worm standing to attention next to the table.

At the opposite table to the right of the hall and closest to the main table, sat Brienne, Pod, the Hound, Gendry, Sam and Gilly. They were joined by Arya and Bran's chair was placed next to the table. Ser Davos found a seat between Gendry and Sam that looked a little bit cramped.

Jon pulled the out the chair next to his so Sansa could sit down before him. Jon remained standing and was about to speak as all eyes turned back to the door as Ghost trotted in, oblivious to the looks he was receiving, and laid down in front of the main table with a large bone in his mouth and started to chew away, clueless to the occasion.

Jon smirked softly as did Sansa and Arya at the direwolf's actions. Sam and Ser Davos also smiled faintly.

'As you know, it is more important than ever that we have allies to help us defeat the danger which rapidly approaches,' Jon started to speak. 'This means the joining of many armies, cultures and ranks. The Night King sees us all as the same and we must be united together if we are to defeat our common enemy. I have done as I promised and have brought Queen Daenerys and her allies with me to help in our fight against the dead. With her help we also have the dragonglass to make weapons for the fight ahead. Our differences do not matter anymore, only our similarities.' Jon's speech was greeted by loud and powerful cheers with many standing in appreciation. Daenerys knew those expressions, expressions she had never received in Westeros but had by the thousands in Essos.

Jon raised his mug, which contained ale, as Sansa reached for her goblet of wine. Many others around the hall also reached for their drinks. 'Please join me in welcoming Queen Daenerys and her followers to Winterfell and to the North. To Queen Daenerys.' Jon hoped the North would at least do the polite thing and join his toast.

'Queen Daenerys,' Lord Manderly raised his glass which set off the chain of some mumbled toasts and some slightly louder. The difference in reactions between Jon's speech and his toast were very noticeable.

The hall drank to the toast and Daenerys lifted her glass to find her favourite wine touching her lips. She looked across at Sansa who gave a knowing smile. Jon had clearly informed his sister of Daenerys' favourite wine. Bread and salt was also passed around the hall and Jon watched eagle-eyed to make sure everyone took part. Daenerys then stood.

'I thank King Jon for his kind words of welcome and all of you for raising your glasses,' Daenerys started her speech. She had made many speeches but somehow this one felt as though it could be the most important so far. All eyes were on her and it was more intimidating than she had imagined. 'As you are aware we face a very grave threat from the Army of the Dead and King Jon has done all he can to prepare us to fight this threat. I am your ally in this battle. While I did not believe your King at first, I have now seen the danger with my own eyes. It is a real threat, which is why we must unite our forces to defeat our common enemy.' Polite applause rang out rather than the cheers that had greeted Jon's speech, but for now Daenerys would take it.

Daenerys found herself relaxing slightly as the atmosphere started to warm as food was eaten and alcohol drunk. In terms of a feast, it could have been called a sorry affair but all present knew of the food shortage, not currently helped by Daenerys' army, and no food was left uneaten or wasted.

'How's the wine?' Jon asked making Daenerys startle slightly.

'It seems you noticed which wine was my favourite,' Daenerys answered. She partly wanted to rant at him but also knew that would get them nowhere.

'I may have overreacted earlier,' Jon admitted, 'but Sam is my best friend. I really needed to know what happened so I can help in reducing the uproar if it occurs.'

'It didn't seem prudent at the time,' Daenerys wasn't happy with Jon's half-apology. 'My actions were not unjust and I do not have to answer to those who were not present,' she continued coldly.

Daenerys felt Jon bristle beside her as he turned away to talk to Sansa, his annoyance clear. Daenerys didn't look but she felt Tyrion's glare. She didn't understand why she should be the one to apologise when she had nothing to apologise for. The wine was good though.

* * *

After the feast, Jon decided to go down to the crypts. For so long he had always felt that he didn't belong down there, but now it was a place of reflection for him. He started lighting the candles as his father used to do, starting with his father's tomb and statue.

'Thought I might find you down here,' Davos voice greeted Jon as the darkness was punctuated by the light of the candles.

'Why were you looking?' Jon asked with a sense of exasperation. He really just wanted to be alone.

'Been a long and difficult day. That's all,' Davos shrugged.

'Did I overreact earlier?' Jon asked, knowing he would get the truth in return.

'It's difficult to say,' Davos did look troubled and weary.

'Go on,' Jon prodded.

'The way I see it, your friendship with Sam did perhaps cloud your judgement,' Davos said quietly. 'Shouting in the middle of Winterfell wasn't the best idea as now the whole castle will know by morning, if they don't already.'

'I should have kept calmer,' Jon agreed. 'I just hated seeing Sam so distressed.'

'Aye. I will also say that even if Daenerys hadn't told you, Tyrion and Varys should have at least let me know, so I could pass it on,' Davos shook his head. 'They left us in the lurch. Yes, it was before we were all allied but this I do worry about.'

Jon had finished lighting the candles on Ned's statue and moved over to his Aunt Lyanna's and started lighting the candles there.

'I've executed men who betrayed me,' Jon stated as if he wasn't sure what to say next.

'These men didn't betray her though,' Davos countered. 'They lost a battle and refused to bend the knee to her. She forgets that she is not yet Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and until she is they are not traitors until they swear fealty to her and go back on their word.'

'She did give them a choice,' Jon tried to argue but Davos' look made it clear he wouldn't budge, as Jon was sure the rest of the North would agree.

'What would you have done?' Davos asked earnestly. Jon thought about the situation and how he hadn't been in the same situation that Daenerys now found herself in.

'I don't know,' Jon said with a furrowed brow. 'I probably would have executed Randyll but kept Dickon hostage until the final conflict was over. Any refusal after that would be punishable by death, I suppose.'

'Doesn't matter now does it?' Davos sighed. 'We can argue the rights and wrongs and never come to a consensus. War always has different opinions and in the end the victors are the ones who write history. Still, I'm not sure executing them by burning them alive with dragonfire was the best idea when her father was well known for the same.'

'Different situation though,' Jon replied as he finished the candles on Lyanna's tomb.

'Yeah, but when does that matter when everyone whispers about Targaryens burning people alive? The situation doesn't come into it,' Davos reasoned. Jon knew his Hand was right. Over twenty years after the Aerys Targaryen II died, he was still remembered by the nobles and the common folk alike, as 'the Mad King who burned men alive'. Daenerys had to be careful if she didn't want to be seen as the same, even though Jon knew she was very different from her father.

'You want me to talk to her,' Jon stated as he looked at Davos.

'Yes, I think maybe she will listen to you,' Davos answered. 'A nice dragon ride so you are away from suspicious ears.'

'So Drogon can burn me instead then,' Jon mumbled under his breath.

* * *

The Lannister ships docked at White Harbour with very little ceremony. The weather had turned and cold rain was now pelting down from the sky. Jamie was eager to get out of the rain but he also wanted to get to Winterfell as quickly as possible. He knew he was likely to receive a less than warm welcome, but the added troops Bronn had managed to arrange meant it was likely he wouldn't be killed on the spot. Hopefully.

Jamie sent a raven to Winterfell to say that he had arrived in the North with the Lannister forces (he didn't say how many), in the hope that they wouldn't be attacked before they reached Winterfell. He asked Bronn to write the raven, due to his terrible writing with his left hand and that Bronn's penmanship wasn't bad.

'Who do I write it to?' Bronn asked snappily. The weather wasn't to his liking at all.

'Address it to the King in the North,' Jamie answered.

'I thought he bent the knee to the Dragon Queen,' Bronn raised his eyebrows in surprise.

'He did,' Jamie answered, 'but the North may be better off not knowing that yet. We are sending it to Winterfell and not Daenerys. Let's err on the side of caution.'

Bronn grumbled as he wrote Jamie's message before finding a raven to send it to Winterfell.

Jamie looked out of the window at the Lannister men lining up, ready to march to Winterfell. Jamie had brought his horse, as had Bronn, but they would be the only men seated for the long march to Winterfell. He knew this would be a tiring trip. They had arrived in the morning so Jamie had decided to push on, even in the inclement weather. The soldiers grumbled but obeyed.

* * *

Daenerys had been hoping to see Jon when dawn broke and she decided to break her fast in the main hall. The hall was empty in comparison to the night before, even though many were still eating when she arrived. Unlike the night before, those in the hall paid little attention to Daenerys as she sat down at the top table with Tyrion beside her. The hall had been rearranged and was not so formal for first meal of the day. Jon was nowhere to be seen, neither were the rest of the Starks and that bothered Daenerys greatly.

'Jon was up early,' Jorah said as he moved a chair and sat down opposite Daenerys. 'Something about needing to check on the Wildlings,' he elaborated as he spooned scrambled eggs onto his plate.

'He's avoiding me,' Daenerys snapped back making Tyrion wince.

'He has a lot to deal with now,' Tyrion said with a simpering tone which made Daenerys glare. 'He won't be able to spend as much time with you here.'

'He's right,' Jorah agreed. 'Jon's got a lot to do.'

Suddenly, the hall came alive with muttering and not so quite whispers. Daenerys looked around to see Samwell Tarly entering the hall with Gilly and Little Sam in tow. From the tone and the looks, Daenerys was aware that everyone else in the hall was aware of her decision of how to deal with Tarlys and it was clear how they felt about it.

Daenerys continued to eat to show she wasn't intimidated but she was getting rather angry at being judged by these people. Tyrion's constant wary looks were also getting to her as well. Did he think she might explode?

Someone sat down next to Daenerys before she could object.

'Your Grace,' the man said as Daenerys looked up to see Samwell Tarly beside her. The murmuring and whispering had abated in the hall as all eyes turned to them. 'I want you to know, that while I am obviously upset at the news of the deaths of my father and brother, I know that this is not a time for making enemies. I have also seen the Army of the Dead with my own eyes and killed a White Walker with a dragonglass dagger, so I am well aware of the threat that approaches. Jon is my best friend and if he trusts you then I will follow his lead, but I am loyal to him and only him. He is my King.'

Sam stood and turned to leave, stopping when he saw Jon in the doorway with reluctant smile on his face. The other occupants of the hall went back to eating their food in a manner that suggested their words on the matter they were discussing were no longer advised. If Samwell Tarly could accept the Queen, then so should they.

* * *

Howland Reed was relieved to see the gates of Winterfell before him. His horse was tired and would certainly need time to recuperate after such an urgent ride.

'State your business,' the guard at the gate asked as Howland dismounted.

'I am Howland Reed, Lord of Greywater Watch, seeking an audience with His Grace, Jon Snow, the King in the North,' Howland announced.

The gates of Winterfell opened and Howland Reed steeled himself for what he was about to reveal.

* * *

 **A/N: The way I see it Sam has essentially put a line under the burning of his family. If he can work with her, so can everyone else. I know as member of the Night's Watch he doesn't have a 'king' but let's be honest the Night's Watch is really defunct now and Sam will always follow Jon. The next chapter will be 'the reveal' and how I thought it might have gone. I liked the one in season 8 but then it just had nothing to do with Jon after that, which really annoyed me. I am going to go into how it affects Jon and how difficult the information must be for him as well as others.**

 **I hope you stick with this, but If you do not, I hope enjoy the other fics written on fanfiction.**


	19. Chapter 19

**So, big chapter here, not just in length but content. There were things I liked about the reveal in the show but this was how I had envisioned it. I hope it comes across well and I have tried to make it mostly from Jon's point of view and his feelings. This was something I missed in the show as we didn't really get much reaction from Jon apart from his intial response. Some points of view haven't been gone into here but I did the main characters which I felt needed it.**

 **I hope you enjoy my different take on the reveal of Jon's parents.**

* * *

Chapter 19

The courtyard at Winterfell was a hive of activity, makeshift forges had been hastily erected to make the dragonglass weapons, while women were stripping feathers for the arrows and men were building defences in anticipation of the battle to come. Hot soup was being handed out to those who had been working since dawn and every bowl was gratefully received, with no food wasted.

Howland Reed was led through the organised chaos with Meera and Wylla in tow by a Stark guard with a rather gruff manner. Howland had dispatched his own troops to help in the upcoming battle but he knew that they were many days travel behind him. A nervous energy had overtaken him as he strode purposefully towards the keep. Was he about to make the biggest mistake in recent history or would this be exactly what was needed? He wasn't sure, but he knew deep down, the truth needed to be known.

Ned Stark had kept the secret for seventeen years and had taken it to his grave, but Howland knew that Ned had been troubled over the years as the boy grew into a man. Jon Snow deserved to know the truth, but would the truth break him?

Howland entered the Great Hall to find it very much as he remembered, with the direwolves marking the fireplace and the placement of the head table just in front of it. The tapestries were gone but he supposed that the Boltons had removed or, most likely, destroyed them when they had reigned over the North. The party was instructed to wait in the hall while the guard disappeared to find a person in charge to welcome them officially.

Meera fidgeted, looking out of place, while Wylla was starting to turn a pale, sickly colour. Howland knew Wylla was keen, and yet afraid, to meet the man she had nursed as a babe.

The Lord of Greywater Watch felt a presence behind him and smiled as he turned. The giant, white direwolf stood behind him, glaring unblinkingly.

'Hello, Ghost,' Howland said as he extended his left arm for Ghost to sniff. Ghost sniffed and apparently felt there was no danger as he moved silently towards the fire and lay down. Howland looked to Wylla who was wide-eyed, staring unabashedly at the animal, while Meera wasn't surprised at all.

'He's bigger than Summer and Shaggydog were,' she said quietly reminiscing, about her time with the two youngest of the Stark children.

The click of heeled shoes caught the party's attention as they turned towards the door.

'I am Sansa Stark, The Lady of Winterfell,' Sansa introduced herself as she stood before Lord Reed.

'Howland Reed, Lord of Greywater Watch,' Howland gave a short bow of deference. 'These are my companions. My daughter Meera Reed and Lady Wylla.'

'It is a pleasure to meet you,' Sansa answered but her smile was strained. 'King Jon is currently seeing to preparations but he will hopefully be available to meet you soon. In the meantime, Olga will show you to your rooms. Due to the number of people here the rooms won't be very big.' Sansa looked hesitant, as if expecting a reproach.

'A room of any kind would be welcome,' Howland answered but the longer he waited to see Jon the more he was beginning to doubt his decision.

* * *

Jon was tired, cold and beyond stressed. The preparations for the battle with the Night King were going well but Jon had a feeling that they would need far more if they were to prevail. He had received word earlier in the day that Lannister ships had docked at White Harbour and Greyjoy banners had been seen in the Barrowlands, making their way north. Rumours suggested a small number of men which made Jon instantly think it was probably Theon and not Euron, however, he was still uneasy. They had heard nothing from Cersei, not even a threat. There had been no word from Edd since Jon had received a raven telling him that the Night's Watch was abandoning Castle Black and moving south to Winterfell, as Jon had instructed.

To add to his stress and misery, he was still at odds with Daenerys but it did seem that Sam's declaration that he would work with Daenerys, even though she had killed his father and brother, had at least stemmed the animosity towards her. They had been avoiding each other ever since.

'Jon,' Sansa's voice brought Jon out of his reverie.

'Yeah,' Jon answered with a sigh.

'Lord Reed is here,' she stated as she stood next to him on the balcony which overlooked the Winterfell courtyard. 'I've had to put him and those with him in the smaller rooms, but he didn't seem to overly object.'

'I doubt he would,' Jon replied. 'Father always said Lord Reed was a rational man and a good friend. He knows we're stretched to our limit.'

'You should find him when you have a spare moment,' Sansa gave Jon an earnest look. 'I think he really wanted to see you.'

'What makes you say that?' Jon asked.

'He just seemed disappointed to see me,' Sansa shrugged and moved away.

Jon sighed as he looked over the busy courtyard. He had always wanted to be part of the hubbub, included, but now he wished he could just slope off when he wanted to and disappear for hours on end like he used to. He watched the activity in the courtyard for some time.

'Your Grace,' Davos' gruff tone interrupted Jon's wandering thoughts.

'Yes, Ser Davos,' Jon replied with more of a sigh than he meant to escape.

'Am I really that boring?' Davos smirked as he stood beside Jon. 'Your brother wants to see you in the Lord's Solar. Me too apparently.'

* * *

Jon made his way to the Lord's Solar, or as he still liked to think of it, his father's solar. How many times had he received a bollocking in there? He managed to suppress his smile at his thoughts, Davos had been looking at him strangely since they had been on the road. Nothing obvious but a few glances here and there. Varys also seemed to be involved.

Jon entered the solar without knocking, it was technically his solar after all. He was surprised to find many inhabitants already there. Bran and Sam were sitting and standing near the fire, Sansa and Arya were sitting in chairs by the desk, while Daenerys, Jorah, Varys and Tyrion were sitting on mismatched chairs by the bookcase. Standing, and fidgeting nervously, by the window was a man Jon didn't recognise along with a darker skinned woman next to him.

The man moved forward and knelt before Jon, 'Your Grace.'

Jon racked his brains and quickly worked out who the man was by the information Sansa had given him earlier. 'Lord Reed,' Jon looked to the man. 'It is a pleasure to meet you at last. Please stand.' Lord Reed stood, as did the woman who had been beside him. Jon extended his hand and Howland shook it with some force before letting go.

Howland looked at Jon properly for the first time and hoped his smile wasn't too broad. He instantly saw Lyanna staring back at him. Jon's hair, face and even stance reminded Howland of Lyanna. The brown eyes shining back were mostly Lyanna but he was sure you could see some indigo in the right light. It was easy to see why many had commented that Jon looked like a Stark, as he had all of the Stark features, and that may have saved him from certain death.

'It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace,' Howland returned Jon's words and smiled internally as Jon seemed to squirm slightly at a title which was rightly his. 'This is Lady Wylla,' Howland indicated Wylla who smiled warmly and Jon nodded his head towards her.

'Could someone please explain to me what is going on?' Jon asked as he looked around the room. Davos had somehow retrieved chairs from somewhere and placed them next to Arya and Sansa. Bran was about to answer when there was a scratching noise at the door. Jon instantly moved over to the door and let Ghost enter the room before returning to his chair as the direwolf lay down beside him.

Jon was on edge. He knew that Lord Reed must have something important to tell them all but Bran looked as though he knew something and Sam looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Sam's demeanour disturbed Jon the most.

'Jon,' Bran started. 'There's something you need to know.'

'It's a delicate matter,' Howland continued making Jon frown in confusion.

A chair scraped back and everyone turned towards the noise. 'Well, if it is a delicate matter I think it best we leave,' Tyrion answered, now standing on the floor indicating Daenerys, Jorah and Varys who all moved to stand.

'It concerns Daenerys as well,' Bran said in his now customary monotone voice. Confusion swept around the room as the occupants all tried to work out what they were about to be told.

Daenerys sat down wondering what she was about to learn from Jon's strange half-brother. Brandon Stark rather unnerved her.

Jon's eyes swept around the room and he could see that the information he was about to be told was known by Bran, Sam, Howland and Wylla.

'It's about your mother, Jon,' Sam said quietly but in the room his voice seemed to echo, reverberating off the walls.

'I know who she was,' Bran added as Jon stared at the floor.

'Was? So she is dead then,' Jon gave a sad smile. He had always thought as much, given that his mother had never sought him out in all the years he had been at Winterfell.

'She died just after you were born,' Wylla said quietly making Jon look at her quizzically.

'You were there?' he asked a little with hope and a little with dread.

'Yes,' she confirmed. Jon remained silent as his mind was a whir. The one thing he had wanted for all of his life was finally available for him to know, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know anymore. He had lasted so long knowing that he would ever know, now knowing seemed far scarier than never knowing. He was about to speak when someone else did.

'Who is his mother?' Varys asked before Jon could.

'You were right Lord Varys, when you told Ser Davos what you believed that night,' Bran answered flatly. Varys looked taken aback but Jon felt his anger rising.

'You know?' Jon roared, his anger directed at his Hand as he stood.

'No...' Davos stumbled. 'It wasn't certain...'

'You?' Jon snarled at Varys, Ghost was now standing at Jon's side.

'I heard whispers, but I do not reveal ultimately life-changing and kingdom destroying rumours without the facts,' Varys countered, trying not to show his fear at Jon's outburst.

'What!?' Jon's anger had dissipated into complete confusion in a moment. He blinked at Varys trying to digest what the bald man had said and implied.

'What do you mean, life changing?' Arya asked.

'And kingdom destroying?' Sansa asked just after her sister.

'I heard the rumours over twenty years ago and I have recently been reminded of them,' Varys didn't answer the questions. 'I had no proof.'

Jon felt the room starting to spin. Ghost had lain down at Jon's feet, after sensing there was no current danger. Jon turned back to Wylla and made sure to soften his voice.

'Who are you? To me, I mean,' he asked looking the woman in the eyes. Howland fidgeted next to her as he had hoped to protect her from the brunt of the questions but Wylla seemed happy to answer.

'I was you wet nurse, Jon,' she smiled warmly at him. 'I was there when you were born. I pulled you from your mother.'

Jon stumbled slightly as he sat down on his forgotten chair. He felt a hand touch him and jumped as if he had been scalded, only to see Sansa looking concerned. He looked across to Arya, who also looked worried, and finally to Davos, who was looking at his own shoes.

'Who was she?' Jon's question was quiet but everybody heard it. Howland looked to Bran as did Sam.

'Jon,' Bran considered Jon for a moment. 'The truth is...you are not our brother.'

Jon rubbed his forehead with his hand. 'Well, no. I'm your half-brother,' Jon said as if it was obvious.

'No, you're not,' Bran countered. It took Jon a moment to process what Bran had said. If he wasn't their half-brother...then...

'Bran, what are you talking about?' Sansa's question, as well as her tone, showed how ridiculous she thought this was.

Arya's response sent a chill down Jon's spine. 'He's not lying,' Arya said with certainty.

'Jon, you are our cousin,' Bran continued as if neither Arya nor Sansa had spoken. 'Your mother was Lyanna Stark.'

'Aunt Lyanna?' Arya sounded confused. Jon's head was swimming. He wasn't sure when Ghost had moved to place his head in his lap but Jon was grateful as he dug his fingers into the direwolf's fur as an anchor. Jon looked to Wylla who nodded.

'Then my father...?' Jon stared back at Ghost's fur. He knew who his father was now, but he needed it to be confirmed.

'Your father was Prince Rhaegar Targaryen,' Howland answered. Jon looked to the man but he didn't understand why Howland looked sorrowful.

Jon's anger flared. He really was a bastard. Worse than that, one born out of rape. He was disgusted by himself, his own existence and he wished he had never known the truth. How was this som,ething he needed to know?

Oddly, when Jon spoke his voice was calm, but the venom was clear. 'You thought I needed to know this,' he started. He heard Sansa's intake of breath next to him. 'To know that I only exist because my father forced himself on my mother.'

'No, Jon! Stop!' Sam's voice was as powerful as Jon had ever heard it, causing him to look up at his friend. 'That's not the truth.'

Jon felt hope start to bloom in his stomach. Sam's determined look meant that he was sure. Jon had seen that look before.

'They loved each other,' Bran said beside Sam. 'They were married.'

Jon felt as if he had climbed the Wall, been thrown off it, climbed it again and thrown off once more. He couldn't make sense of anything.

'It's true,' Wylla's eyes were warm and earnest. 'Your mother was so upset when we heard of your father's death.' Right, his father's death, Jon tried to keep his head from swimming again. Rhaegar was his father.

'Forgive me,' Tyrion interrupted. 'Rhaegar was married to Elia Martell, so how could he have married Lyanna?' Jon felt equally curious and annoyed by Tyrion's question.

'Rhaegar had his marriage to Elia annulled and married Lyanna the same day,' Sam answered confidently.

'I have seen it,' Bran said without emotion and a certainty that they had all come to accept.

'This will need evidence,' Jorah spoke for the first time. Jon snuck a look at Daenerys and found she seemed as shocked at the revelation as he was.

'Bran isn't lying,' Arya countered as she stood, glaring at the knight.

'Arya,' Jon warned and Arya sat down again.

'I actually found out about it by accident,' Sam sounded a bit less confident than he had earlier. 'It was part of my punishment for helping you,' Sam added quickly with a glance to Jorah. 'I was asked to transcribe some old materials and Gilly actually read it out,' Sam looked to Jon apologetically. 'In High Septon Maynard's personal diary, he describes annulling the marriage of the Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell and then marrying Rhaegar to Lyanna Stark. It's his personal diary. It also said two Kingsguard were witness to it.'

'They always called her 'Princess' when addressing her,' Wylla confirmed.

'How did she die?' Jon asked, already knowing the answer. He continued to dig his fingers into Ghost's fur, the direwolf did not protest.

'She lost too much blood while birthing you,' Wylla said gently. 'You were all she thought about. She was trying to work out what to do when her brother arrived.'

'He saw her?' Jon was shocked to hear that his father, no uncle, had seen his mother alive. Everyone, had always said that Ned found his sister dead.

'She begged him to promise to keep you safe,' Wylla gave a sad smile. 'We knew what had happened to Rhaegar's other children...' Jon gasped as he realised she meant his own half siblings. 'She wanted you to be safe.'

'I found Ned holding Lyanna's hand just after she had passed,' Howland said quietly. 'Ned wasn't going to break his promise to her. He decided that telling the world you were his, was the best way to shield you. I later offered to take you, but Ned said you needed to be with your family. He changed your name to Jon Snow after that.'

'What was it before?' Jon asked as he realised his mother must have given him a name before she died.

'She named you Aegon Targaryen,' Wylla answered.

Jon felt his concentration slipping. This was too much for him to take in. He had always said he 'wasn't a Stark', but recently he had felt more at home with his family around him. Even Sansa had called him a 'Stark'. But he wasn't. He was a Targaryen. Jon looked across to Daenerys and felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. His Aunt Daenerys. She was his father's sister making him her nephew. Jon shuddered at the revelation but he wasn't sure she had felt the same response. Her eyes were teary but he didn't think they were bad tears.

Jon was aware that others were talking. Sansa and Arya, Varys and Tyrion, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. Davos was giving Jon an apologetic look but Jon couldn't blame the man, how do you tell someone you think you know who his mother was but you're not sure?

'Then if this is true,' Varys had stood up and was considering Jon with interest, 'and I do now believe it is. Jon being Rhaegar's legitimate son, he is the Targaryen heir to the Iron Throne. Aegon VI of his name.'

Jon froze. In the wilderness he was trying to tread through, he hadn't thought about being the heir. He barely wanted the crown of the North, the Iron Throne was not his. He didn't want it.

Jon stood, dislodging Ghost, who whimpered softly, and he ran. He wrenched the door open and ran. He wasn't sure of where he was going, he just needed to get out of that room. The room had become claustrophobic and he needed to get away. He sent servants scattering as he charged through Winterfell's halls as fast as he could run. He reached the Great Hall and ran across the hall, ignoring the concerned expressions and noises as he wrenched another door open, and another, and another until he ended up outside.

The courtyard was mostly empty and the darkness was starting to close in. It was snowing and Jon could hear the crunch of the fresh snow beneath his feet as he continued to run. His mind was a complete whir and he just wanted it all to stop. He found himself standing at the entrance to the crypts and quickly lit a torch from a brazier nearby, and descended into the darkness.

* * *

Jon's sudden exit from the room took Sansa and Arya by surprise. Sansa was struggling with the information she had just learnt from her own brother. Jon was not her bastard brother but her trueborn cousin, the rightful Targaryen heir. Since leaving Winterfell for Kings Landing, Sansa's disposition towards her half-brother had changed significantly. When she had no-one else to turn to he had welcomed her, when perhaps he could have turned away with how she had treated him in the past, following her mother's influence. They had argued about the best course of action and still disagreed on the different ways to rule but Sansa had truly come to see Jon as her brother, like her siblings had before her. Except, he wasn't her brother, not even her half-brother. Her mother would never know that her father never dishonoured her.

Arya knew her brother was telling the truth and her heart broke for her 'favourite brother', her hand instinctively went to Needle at her waist. She knew Jon had wanted to know the identity of his mother for as long as he could remember, but now the knowledge had turned Jon's life upside down. It didn't matter to Arya, Jon would always be her big brother and favourite brother.

As Jon bolted for, and wrenched open, the door to the solar, Ghost, Sansa and Arya were close behind him. Servants were sent scattering around, dropping the things they were carrying as they made way for the King. Sansa knew apologies would be needed later but she had to get to Jon and she knew Arya did too. Ghost was on Jon's heels as Jon entered the Great Hall and Sansa knew they could be in trouble.

Jon fled across the room with Ghost and Arya behind him, none of them turning back to see the shocked faces their presence had caused. Tormund stood looking concerned as Sansa paused for a moment. She was out of breath from chasing Jon but she knew she had to try and rectify the situation. She looked to Tormund who instantly understood her glance as Davos entered the hall. Both men quickly exited as Sansa did her best to act like the Lady of Winterfell.

'Please remain calm,' she said as clearly as possible as a hubbub of noise had erupted due to Jon's rather conspicuous run through Winterfell. 'My brother has just received some disturbing news of a personal kind. There is nothing to worry about, he just needs some time to think it through.' Sansa was aware she had called Jon her 'brother', even in light of the information she had just received. The hubbub calmed slightly, but many were watching her closely. She walked out of the hall at a leisurely pace hoping that Arya had found Jon.

Arya knew Sansa would sort out calming the occupants of the hall so she continued after Jon. She already had an idea of where her brother was heading, even if he didn't. He had momentarily disappeared out of sight but she kept going with her instincts. Once she moved outside, she knew she was right. She followed Jon's footsteps in the snow until she came to the crypts. Ghost was sitting in the doorway and Arya was amazed that he actually fit. There was no way she could get past the wolf if Ghost didn't want to let her by. She moved forward as if she was going to enter the crypts but Ghost bared his teeth and she stopped.

'So he's...down there,' Davos puffed as he came to a stop next to Arya.

'Of course,' Arya answered flippantly. 'His mother's down there.'

'His mother?' Tormund asked as he observed the white wolf blocking the entrance to the crypts. 'Jon said he knew nothing about her.'

'He just found out,' Davos huffed.

'And that's made him run like a mad man?' Tormund asked looking very confused. 'Does someone want to tell me what's going on?'

'Jon is not our brother by blood,' Sansa said as she arrived in time to hear Tormund's question. Her eyes glanced towards Ghost who was still sitting in the archway to the crypts.

'What?' Tormund looked surprised before realisation hit him. 'He's not Ned Stark's then. So he just found out who his mother and father were. Poor sod.'

'He took it relatively well, until he ran,' Davos had finally got his breath back.

'He shouldn't be alone right now,' Arya said decisively as she moved towards Ghost. Ghost bared his teeth again and a faint growl could be heard, making Arya stop.

'The wolf disagrees and I think it might be best to leave Jon for a while,' Tormund said quietly.

'He needs to think things through,' Davos agreed.

Tormund, Davos, Sansa and Arya all turned towards the approaching footsteps, crunching in the snow.

* * *

Daenerys couldn't believe what she had heard. She wasn't the last Targaryen after all, and the new found member of her family was Jon. He was her nephew, her brother Rhaegar's son. She had seen Jon glance towards her as her eyes filled with tears, tears for the nephew she hadn't known existed. His glance did not look as joyous as she felt but she knew it must be a shock to him. He was likely still working everything out and she wanted to be close to him and comfort him. The last two dragons had found each other against all the odds. Drogon and Rhaegal's reactions to Jon now made perfect sense. The dragons had known all along.

When Varys had mentioned Jon was the Targaryen heir, Daenerys had been jolted out of her thoughts. The Iron Throne was not hers by blood right, it was Jon's. Her fight for the Iron Throne now had a new player, even though she knew Jon wouldn't want it. She hoped they could rule together but her barren womb would be a problem as the Targaryen bloodline had to continue.

As Jon sprang from his chair and charged out of the room, Daenerys wanted nothing more than the knowledge they had just learnt to be destroyed and placed away in a dark corner, so they could go back to the way it was. She knew that wasn't going to happen and cursed Varys for pointing out the obvious.

Daenerys felt conflicted by the news and she found herself seeking reassurance. 'Is this true?' she asked those still assembled. A part of her no longer wanted to be the last Targaryen but the other part wasn't too happy about what it meant for the throne she had been working towards for so long.

'I assure you it is,' Howland answered and stared Daenerys in the eyes.

'Are you alright, Your Grace?' Tyrion's voice was timid, as if he was talking to a dangerous creature.

'I need to find Jon,' Daenerys answered and quickly left the room.

She had known the original direction in which Jon had left when he exited the room so she continued that way, hoping to find signs of Jon. She found servants picking up items they had dropped with mutterings about 'the King' as they did so. She found herself arriving at the Great Hall and the murmurs she could hear certainly indicated Jon had been that way.

'What was that about?'

'The King looked terrible.'

Are we in danger?'

'Sansa said to remain calm.'

'What d'you think has happened?'

Hush descended on the hall as Daenerys entered and crossed the room. She did her best to ignore it but there were accusing glances being thrown her way, as if Jon's actions were her fault. She swallowed her retorts and continued onward until she entered the courtyard. She saw footprints in the snow and quickly followed them to find a cluster on people around the entrance to the Stark crypts. She also noticed that Ghost was blocking the way in.

Daenerys decided to march straight up to the wolf as she needed to see Jon urgently. Ghost snapped his jaws to stop her in her tracks and Daenerys felt arms pulling her back. Why would Ghost do that?

'Stay back,' she heard Arya Stark's voice in her ear as she was dragged away from the direwolf. 'He's not allowing anyone down there.'

Ghost bowed his head and shuffled his paws on the ground in a gesture that looked as if he were feeling guilty for snapping at Daenerys.

'Why?' Daenerys asked, not understanding why she couldn't see Jon when he needed her the most.

'Guessing the wolf is protecting us from him,' Tormund answered as Jorah appeared next to Daenerys.

'Jon would never hurt me,' Daenerys said confidently.

'In his right mind, no. But is he in his right mind?' Tormund countered. 'I trust the wolf knows him the best. He'll let us know when Jon's calmed down,' Tormund indicated Ghost, who appeared to nod slightly.

'He needs his family around him,' Daenerys stated forcefully. She didn't understand why these people couldn't understand why she needed to be with Jon. She was his closest family.

'And **we** will be when he needs us,' Arya's tone was threatening as she moved in front of Daenerys.

'Alright, enough!' Davos gruff tones interrupted the young women. 'We all care about Jon so let's not start a fight. He clearly needs to be alone right now but I'm sure Ghost will come and find us when Jon needs us.'

Daenerys was about to object when Jorah spoke for the first time. 'I agree. This information must be devastating to him. We are all shocked but it is everything he has ever known that has been destroyed in a few minutes. Let's give him time to think and let his emotions out.'

Daenerys wanted to argue but she supposed Jorah was right. She had found out that she wasn't the last of the Targaryens, while Jon had found out his half-siblings were his cousins and the man he had thought was his father was actually his uncle. She had gained a family member while he believed he had lost his.

'Let's get inside,' Davos said while rubbing his hands together to create warmth.

Ghost watched as the humans left as he stayed put in the doorway to the crypts protecting his human.

* * *

Jon descended into the crypts slowly realising why he had come there after the revelation about his parents. His mother was down here, as she had been since the day her body was returned to Winterfell by her older brother. His mother had been under his feet the whole time and he had never known. A surge of rage ran through Jon as he stalked towards Ned Stark's tomb. His father, no uncle, had lied to Jon for the entirety of his life. Jon only vaguely noticed that the candles had been lit as he arrived at his destination.

'WHY?' Jon screamed at the statue which barely resembled Ned Stark. 'Why did you not tell me the truth?! My mother was always here. Always. Why didn't you tell me that? You lied! I'm not even your son! How could you do that to me? Did you know we would never meet again when you promised to tell me about her? That you would never have to tell me the truth? I hate you! I HATE you!' Jon's voice broke as he sobbed loudly, his distress echoing eerily through the tunnels.

Jon dropped the torch he was carrying and unsheathed Longclaw in one swift movement. His anger was burning through him as he stared at the statue of the man who had kept the truth from him. Jon swung his sword high above his head ready to strike as hard as he could.

 _'You are a Stark. You might not have my name, but you have my blood.'_

Ned Stark's voice echoed loudly in Jon's ears and Jon hesitated, his arms still aloft.

 _'You are a Stark.'_

'But I'm a Targaryen,' Jon choked out before dropping Longclaw to the ground, tears were streaming down his face. He couldn't strike his father's statue. While Ned Stark wasn't Jon's father by blood, he was the only father Jon had ever known.

Jon picked up the torch he had dropped earlier and moved further into the crypts until he found the statue and tomb of the person he had come to see. The candles here had also been lit, flickering in a hidden draught or maybe it was just Jon's breath. Jon stood before Lyanna Stark's statue and tomb and wondered whether the likeness was true or not. What had his mother actually looked like?

'I'm so sorry,' he said quietly, his anger having been displaced by grief. 'I didn't know who you were.'

Jon truly studied the carving on the statue for the first time. He tried to envision the statue with brown eyes and dark hair like him. Was that what she had looked like? He had killed her to come into the world, did she resent him as she lay dying in a bed of blood?

'Mother,' Jon croaked out before dropping the torch and falling to his knees. Jon placed his arms on the plinth which held her statue and that of the direwolf which sat beside her. There he rested his head on his arms and wept.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope Jon's mad dash at the end made sense. He just received life-changing news and I wanted him to show that it had really affected him more than anything else could. He had finally reached the point where he had to get away and couldn't hear any more.**

 **I have kept Jon's name as 'Aegon' as in the time period that GoT is set, reusing names was very common especially when older siblings had died (child death was incredibly common). We know that Lyanna knows that Rhaegar's other children are dead and the reuse of the Aegon name isn't that unusual. I do not believe Lyanna used it to spite Elia. It was more likely to honour her and her son. Often, even when children were older and the elder son died the younger son would be re-baptised under his elder brother's name if that was what the father wanted. Seems strange to us these days but so would having a bride passed on to the second son if the elder son had died before the wedding. (That even happened in the UK with King George V and his wife Mary. George was the second son and she was passed to him (luckily they actually quite liked each other) after his elder brother died. This was 1893.)**

 **I hope you enjoyed my take on 'the reveal'. I did not want the whole keeping it secret thing that we got in the show. Any ideas what happens next? Thank you for continuing to read. :)**


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